The Return to Sarmatia
by Anime Princess
Summary: The Knights have returned to Sarmatia, but there are troubles within the families. This will focus on the Knights and their families both Sarmatian kinsmen and Britons.
1. Chapter 1

**Knights don't belong to me, or Lancelot's tribesmen. All other characters do.**  


The Return to Sarmatia

This story will change from Knight to Knight and family member to family member as they deal with their Sarmatian roots and their new lives in Briton.

As he moved to Emogen to relieve her of their son, Cadman, he said stoically, "Hello father, mother."

Lancelot watched with veiled eyes, as they oldest woman before him, his strong-willed mother from his memories, stared at them, or more importantly-him. Lancelot could tell be the sweet gleam of her cloudy brown-black eyes that she was glad that he was alive and well. He also knew that she was thrilled to see more _'Sons of Sarmatia'_ alive and well too. But, as her eyes caressed his face, trying to super-impose his thirteen-year-old self against his thirty-three year old self now, he knew that the next few moments would be uncomfortable and filled with hot, maddening emotions.

As her eyes moved to his wife, Emogen, and the baby they created together, his pride and joy, Cadman, his mother's warm brown-black eyes transformed into icy cold blocks of brown rocks.

Lancelot watched as his mother's eyes returned to him as she cried out happily, "Oh my son! I knew you weren't dead! The will to live is to strong in you! Thank the Gods you and your brothers are finally home! Now, let me look at you!"

Lancelot gulped, handed Emogen their son once more, and stepped closer to the woman who gave him life. With a quick glance behind him, he saw Gawain grab Emmy's upper shoulder to prevent her from moving to his side as many of the unwedded Sarmatian women from his tribe, many of whom were his cousins and second cousins, started to flirt silently with him.

His mother was circling him and moving her eyes all over his frame. His father, Babai, did not say a word to him, but his old face told Lancelot that he would accept whom ever he wished to be his wife when his mother made him get married in a Sarmatian-styled wedding ceremony.

As his mother clapped her hands twice sharply, she said with a smile, "My son has returned to us alive and well! Let the marriage ceremony begin!"

"**What?!?!**" shouted Lancelot in horror, even though he expected it, as he pulled away from the woman who carried him in her womb for nine months and cared for his childhood aches and scrapes.

Lancelot spun to his wife of five years as Emogen shouted out in pain at the same time he did, "**NO!!!!!!**"

As he took a step towards her, he froze when he felt his mother's skeletal fingers grip his black cape, and watched helplessly as Gawain **AND** Tristran held his beloved wife back. He knew that his mother wouldn't appreciate the fact that he had married a woman that she didn't personally approve of, but he didn't expect her flat out refusal to even give Emogen a chance! He looked at the old, weathered fingers that had once soothed his fevered childhood skin, and wished he could gain the courage to hurt her for what she was putting Emogen through.

But, this was his mother…he just couldn't harm her…not even for his Emmy.

Lancelot stared at his mother with wounded eyes. He stubbornly ignored his father, whom had not yet spoken one word to him-at all.

His mother's lips pulled down as he stared at her, as she shrugged and said, "It does not matter to me, my son, that you have returned home five years later than expected. You **MUST** uphold your duty to our clan by marrying Princess Agrimpasa of the Wolf Tribe, and bring forth the next generation of our tribe to carry on our noble bloodline's prestige."

As Lancelot opened his mouth to argue her last remark, Ama growled and said dangerously, "And your little lover over there, the one in green, is a disgrace to our people! Our people are warriors-both males and the females! She cannot remain with you any longer. A Lady of Peace-our kind knows no peace. And further more…"

Lancelot, in rage, ripped his arm from his mother strong hold, and said passionately, "I am truly sorry mother, but I…!"

Lancelot's ravings was cut off as Gawain took a stand beside him and said with a forced politeness that Lancelot understood as he attempt to keep the peace between him and his mother, "My Queen Ama of the Lion Tribe, I am First Prince Gawain Gray-wolf of Sarmatia, Knight of Sarmatia, and the older brother of Princess Agrimpasa Wolfhill of the Wolf Tribe. Lord Miskoc of the Horse Tribe by Sarmatian Blood Oath killed my sister, a few moons ago. She was tried and found guilty of attempting to harm the heirs to Briton's thrown. I am here to verify that the arranged marriage between our two clans are here and now voided."

Lancelot gave his brother-n-arms a grateful smile. Gawain smiled back and winked as he shuffled back to his place behind his leader and First Knight.

Lancelot saw his mother's mouth open and close in shock. He turned to the eldest in their traveling party and tilted his head meaningfully. Miskoc cleared his throat and said strongly, "It is true, Queen Ama, I pledged a Blood Oath with your daughter as a witness. Princess Agrimpasa, Ex-Lord Atilla, Prince Tor, and Lord Artur are all dead for their transgressions against the crown of Briton."

Lancelot snorted as his father finally spoke, "What were these transgressions??"

Lancelot turned to his father and said as his wife came up behind him and placed her head gently on his shoulder, despite his mother's evil glares, "Atilla murdered one of our palace kitchen-girls, Artur and Tor where his stunt supporters, and Tor and Artur belittled and harmed Ladies Caoimhe and Dierdre, first born daughters of Lord Bors Bearhound of the Bear Tribe."

He sighed and added, "Agrimpasa was killed because she refused to answer our questions after she had been asked to answer under the Oath of Mithras."

He was interrupted as Galahad broke free from the line behind him and Emogen and said hotly, "She was depressed that Lancelot was married and refused to leave Emmy! She had been depressed for years because of what my monster of a mother did to her!"

The youngest son of the Wolf Tribe took a deep breath and continued on as he added his support to his First Knight, "Lancelot will **NOT** marry anyone you say he is to, my Queen!! He **LOVES** Emmy and at the end, Agrimpasa figured that out as well, and she died peacefully."

Lancelot placed a hand on Galahad shoulder and said soothingly, "It's okay Galahad…calm down…"

The First Knight watched with concerned eyes as the youngest of the original seven Knights heaved and tried to control his emotions. Agrimpasa's death had affected him in ways that they had never dreamed of. As of now, Galahad's emotions were dangerously close to the forefront, and he jumped at every slight against him or his fellow Knights. They was lucky that Ula was able and willing to help the surviving twin get over his loss and help him get better control of his emotions.

He shook his head and said purposely to his mother as he continued from where he had been cut off a short time ago, "Mother, Emogen is **NOT** my lover. She is my **WIFE!!** We've been married for five almost six years now, and she is the mother of our three children."

Ama's head cocked to the side as she asked curiously, "Children??? What children?? Habren's letter said nothing of children."

Lancelot glared at his younger sister as she ducked and said sheepishly and scooted closer to their mother and father, "I wanted it to be a surprise…"

She added as she stared at him beseechingly, like she wanted him to believe in her sincerity, "I didn't know she'd start off like this…honest!"

Lancelot cleared his throat and ordered gently over his shoulder, "Tristran, bring forth the Sun and Moon of House Lyon."

He felt rather than heard his friend and scout nod as he heard faint footsteps move away from him and the others and move in the direction of the wagon that carried their children.

Lancelot watched silently as his sister and brother spoke to their parents on behalf of his children. He was curious to see what they would tell their mother most of all.

"Mum! Lancelot's twin girls are adorable! They are beautiful and smart too! They know numbers, and languages, and most importantly…they cane speak in Sarmatian; they know our stories, and our culture…don't hate them before you meet them…please!"

Tarkan added to his father, "And Cadman, is Lancelot's first born son. He looks just like Lancelot, father. Please don't let mother denounce them! The twins were born, exactly, nine months after Lancelot and Emogen were married! Cadman was born four years later. The Gods truly favor this union…"

As the tribe waited in a tense silence, two young voices cried out happily in unison, "Daddy!"

Lancelot smiled, spun around, and said as he picked his twins up easily into his arms, "My beautiful Sun Princess and enchanting Moon Emerald! How would you like to meet your grandparents, Queen Ama and King Babai of the Lion Tribe, my loves?"

Lancelot watched with proud eyes as his twin daughters nodded seriously at him. As he set them down gently, he pushed them forward and said in flawless, unaccented Sarmatian, _**"Introduce yourselves my daughters, in the formal manner of your stations."**_

Erlina and Enid, the Sun and Moon of House Lyon, were dressed identically in cotton black, floor length gowns that had emerald green corset-like vests that hugged their tiny frames. Upon their hearts was their family's silver edged shield. Inside the shield was a golden lion with emerald green eyes and two black and steel colored swords crossed behind the gold lion's head. The top right quarter of the shield was silver, the top left was emerald, the bottom left was silver, and the bottom right was emerald. Protecting their tiny feet, were emerald green soft leather slippers.

Erlina grabbed the hem of her beautiful gown, and said gently, _**"I am Lady Erlina 'the Sun Princess' Lyon of the House of Lyon, Daughter of Marques Lancelot Shieldguard Lyon of the House of Lyon, Knight Commander of the Briton Isles, King's Protectorate, and First Knight of the Round Table and Marquess Emogen Serenity Just-Lyon of the Houses of Justice and Lyon, Lady of Peace and Queen's High Councilor, Lord and Lady of Badbury Shire and elder sister of Lady Enid 'the Moon Emerald' Lyon of the House of Lyon and Lord Cadman 'the Cub' Lyon, heir to the House of Lyon."**_

Enid followed suite and said just as politely, "_**I am Lady Enid 'the Moon Emerald' Lyon of the House of Lyon, Daughter of Marques Lancelot Shieldguard Lyon of the House of Lyon, Knight Commander of the Briton Isles, King's Protectorate, and First Knight of the Round Table and Marquess Emogen Serenity Just-Lyon of the Houses of Justice and Lyon, Lady of Peace and Queen's High Councilor, Lord and Lady of Badbury Shire and younger sister of Lady Erlina 'the Sun Princess' Lyon of the House of Lyon and Lord Cadman 'the Cub' Lyon, heir to the House of Lyon."**_

Lancelot smiled at the faces his father and mother made when his daughters introduced themselves. Both of his parent's eyes were wide with shock and amazement. As his father met his eyes, he knew then and there that his father approved of his new grandchildren and would support him faithfully in brining them into the clan as possible heirs to the Lion Thrown. It was his mother that shocked him the most.

Ama had fallen in love with Erlina and Enid almost instantly. He was almost positive now that his mother would approve of Emogen as soon as she under went the challenge against Habren to prove her worth as a warrior.

As Ama rushed to their side, pulled them to her for a big hug, Lancelot said as he took Cadman and presented him as well to his parents, "Erlina and Enid were born exactly nine months after Emogen and I married. Our son, Cadman, came a year ago and is my heir. We have three children from our union and more hopefully in the future. Emogen is my wife…please…give her a chance…she will surprise you."

He watched as he wife boldly came forth and said, "Excuse me, I have to put them to bed now…it's been a very long day."

He was proud when Emogen proclaimed, "How about we try this again, yes? I am Lady Emogen Serenity, Lady of Peace and the Queen's High Councilor and wife of Lord Lancelot Shieldguard Lyon of Badbury Shire. I am very pleased to meet you, Queen Ama."

She continued as she waved behind her, "And these, these are the Knights once known as the Knights of Sarmatia. Now they are known as the Legendary Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur's Court. The pair dressed in dark purple and lavender are Lord Tristran and Lady Ula of Albion Shire of the Far North, the pair in dark burnt gold and light amber are Lord Gawain and Lady Alma of Manchester Shire and Ynys Wyth or the Dragon Isle, and Lord Galahad and Lady Enys of Dummonia Shire and the Lyonesse Isles."

Lancelot watched with pleasure as each couple came forth unhesitatingly as Emogen called them forth and bowed and or curtsied in honor of the nobility before them.

Lancelot's eyes narrowed as his father eyed the women, and as his eyes widened in shock, Babai exclaimed, "They are Woads!"

Ama looked at him in reproach as she demanded, "What?! I thought Woads killed Roman soldiers and conscripts??"

As Lancelot opened his mouth to refute that fact, his father interrupted, "They killed because they represented Rome, the true enemy. Whenever the Knights left on their own, the Woads let them be."

Lancelot nodded in agreement as Gawain came to his side and asked curiously, "How'd you know that, My King? Lance said that you were stationed at Ad Fines, in the far western lands of Britannia."

Lancelot gave his father a thoughtful look as Babai explained, "My brother was taken to Vindolanda and served under a good and just Roman Commander, Uthur Castus. My brother was Uthur's second-n-command and loved Castus like a brother. Dookar was killed in a battle while protecting Uthur during a raid of the Scots. Uthur then got revenge by killing all the Scots with the legendary sword…"

"Excalibur." Ended the Knights together in a dazed tone, for that was a story they were all very familiar with-Lancelot especially. As a younger man, he had taken great pride in the fact that his family had close military ties with the Castus family.

Lancelot smirked as his father asked in shock, "How do you know of the sword, Excalibur?"

Lancelot stared at his father and said, "I think I need to introduce myself once again, only this time using my old titles."

When he was sure that he had the complete attention of all the tribe, he stated clearing and proudly, "I am Sir Lancelot of the Sarmatian Knights serving under the command of Lucius Artorius 'Arthur' Castus of Rome and Briton. I am Second-n-Command of Hadrian's Wall at Vindolanda and the only person to wield the Legendary Twin Demon Blades of Sarmatia…I am Sir Lancelot duLac de Castus!!!"

His father blinked and said with an approving nod, "So, the Roman married the Brit, did he? Interesting…"

Lancelot watched as the young man, who had remained quite this entire time by biting his bottom lip and grounding his feet into the green earth, suddenly blurted out angrily, "You became Second-n-Command to a Roman?!"

Lancelot raised his eyebrow at Zimkar's tone, but said calmly back, "I did, is that so hard to believe?"

Zimkar exclaimed angrily, "But we hate Romans!! How could you befriend one?!"

Lancelot felt his ire rise, as he answered, "Quite easily, actually…Artorius Castus, son of Uthur Castus, believes that all men are equal. He believes that we all have free will. Also, upon our first meeting, he saved my skin from another whipping. We had arrived not a week earlier and Arthur was looking us over. Arthur asked for my name, and I demanded _'what for?'_. The Roman Legionar took out his whip to strike me."

There he paused as the memory of Arthur overcame him, and then he continued more lively than the Sarmatians, who had traveled with him had ever seen him before, "Luckily Arthur pulled out Excalibur and the whip entangled with it instead of harming me. Then Arthur said, _'I requested his name. I did not order it, and people do not have to answer to a request.' _Well I was amazed. As he walked away, I felt a sudden desire to tell him what he wanted to know."

Lancelot smiled and finished, "I also felt a suddenly strong urge to say thank-you. I did. From then on, Arthur and I were friends, and later we became the best of friends. We were and **ARE** so close, that I was tempted to return to Rome with Arthur before we left for our last mission. That's how close we were and still are."

He turned hard eyes upon the people of his past and said commandingly, "I will **NOT** tolerate anyone saying bad things against Arthur…from anyone."

He ended by glaring at his baby brother, Zimkar, and said, "Understood?"

Lancelot's father cleared his throat and said, "Apparently this Arthur is as good as Uthur was."

Babai looked at his son and his son's friends and fellow Knights and felt his chest swell with pride. His son had become something greater that a slave to Rome. Plus, rumors of Arthur's First Knight were well known from Briton to the Far East of Rome. His son was at the pinnacle of every man's dream-immortal-through deeds and honor just like his friend and captain, Arthur.

Babai added, "You'll hear no ill words from me, son. You have done what thousands of men have tried to do for hundreds of years before you, become immortal…First Knight of Arthur."

Lancelot smiled wryly as he added, "Yes, tales of my deeds have spread far and wide. I'm just glad that Gawain, Tristran, and Galahad have equal fame and immortality."

The Lion Tribe watched as the three other Knights rolled their eyes as Lancelot ticked off his fingers, "Gawain the Green Knight, Tristran the Silent Watcher, and Galahad the Pure."

Galahad grumbled at his title while the others laughed at him.

Ama crossed her arms and said, "Then your name is…"

Lancelot stood tall and proclaimed, "I am Lancelot the Brave."

Zimkar started to snicker as he said through his laughs, "What would you know of being Brave? You've been living a life of luxury. I bet you can't even catch your own food, never mind, fight in a battle."

Habren glared at her baby brother. She sucked in her breath as a zing of metal scraping against metal came to her ears.

As Lancelot placed his swords in an _**'x'**_ under Zimkar's throat, he asked with blazing brown eyes, "Care to find out? I am not Knight Commander and King Protectorate for nothing. Not including the fact that I am First Knight of Arthur's Court. That means, if you haven't already figured it out yet, that I am the best swordsman in Briton-second only to Arthur himself."

Zimkar sneered and stepped out of the swords sharp blades and said in a challenge, "Let's see the prowess of Lancelot the Brave."

Zimkar took his own sword out, looked at his eldest brother, chuckled mockingly, and said in a patronizing tone, "Are you really going to disgrace yourself by attempting to use two swords at once? You do know it is impossible."

Lancelot simply smirked as Galahad said loudly, "He's not called the _**'Twin Sword Master'**_ for nothing."

Gawain added, "Wipe the floor with him!"

Habren took a step closer to her baby brother, and said worriedly, "I wouldn't do this Zimkar…he's a great swordsman…he'll kill you!"

Zimkar steamed as he lunged at the First Knight with his sword crossed over his own body in defense.

Lancelot rolled his eyes, side stepped the charging man, raised his right sword, flat side towards him, and whacked Zimkar on the neck hard enough to leave a large stinging red welt on the exposed flesh.

Zimkar, enraged at the early hit, spun around and swung choppily yet precisely at Lancelot.

The Knight Commander calmly met each hit with his swords. In fact, as all the Lion Tribesmen saw, Lancelot made sure to parry the hits equally between his two swords-masterfully, Godly-even.

Babai felt pride overflow his entire being once more. Not only had his son become more than a Roman slave, he had gained an immortality that would span the generations. Also, he has mastered fighting with the once though impossible to wield Demon Blades.

Then a deep depression settled in his heart. While he could claim to be the father of the Legendary First Knight, Lancelot, he could not claim anything else. He could not claim to have taught Lancelot any of the morals he has been praised for. If he understood it all correctly, Arthur, his son's best friend, taught him all the morals he now possesses, and taught him how to wield those blades.

As the obviously one-sided fight continued, Lancelot said, "I find your assumptions of me ghastly Zimkar. I have spent fifteen years fighting nearly everyday for Rome. I am Knight Commander of Camelot and First Knight of the Round Table. If you do not understand what that entails, allow me to illuminate: fifteen years equals five thousand four hundred and seventy-five days of endless battle, be it **in** battle or training. Can you claim such a discipline?"

As he blocked a heavy handed left blow with his left sword, he continued, "I am the Commander of nearly ten thousand Knights, and with that I am also the First Knight. First Knight also means that I am the best hand-to-hand fighter in all of Briton. None can best me, save Arthur, the King. Out of ten thousand men and women, I am the best. I win in any challenge, except when I spar with Arthur. I have also killed hundreds if not thousands of invaders for Rome…so tell me, how do you hope to defeat me when all others have failed???"

Tristran said blandly, "Stop playing with the boy Lancelot; it's embarrassing to watch this amateur fight."

Most of Zimkar's trainers glared at the tattooed Knight, but Tristran's glare made them freeze.

As Zimkar swung around to make a slice to Lancelot's throat, Lancelot rolled his eyes and ended the fight. With his left sword he met Zimkar's thrust and used his own momentum to push his baby brother's sword up and away from him, leaving himself wide open, and placed his right sword under the chestnut hared man's bobbing Adam's apple.

Lancelot announced dryly, "You're dead."

As he stepped back, Lancelot drilled, "You left your right side open for attack, you let your anger cloud your judgment, and you didn't use smart battle tactics. Now, how you can you fix that?"

As he rejoined his family, Lancelot saw Gawain step up and said formally, "Lancelot does not mean to sound superior. He has fallen into Trainer Mode. All he wants is for Zimkar to admit his mistakes and try to fix them. If this had been a true battle, Zimkar would be dead and the Lion Tribe would have lost a valued Prince."

Many of Lancelot's tribesmen muttered angrily as Babai stepped up and said strongly, "My son and his friend are right."

There was immediate silence.

Zimkar protested, "But father…"

Lancelot and Zimkar's father continued on in disappointment, "Lancelot and his friend are right. Had this been a true battle to the death, Lancelot could have ended it very quickly. I saw four holes in Zimkar's defense that my son could have used to end the battle before he chose to…not to mention, the very first attack made by Zimkar. He charged in angrily, and he left his neck open. Lancelot took advantage of that early one by whacking Zimkar on the neck."

He bowed his head, shook it sadly, and said in a heave of sadness and pain, "It pains me to say it but Zimkar was fighting like an inexperience adolescent. I know this…"

He continued as Zimkar's glare worsened, "…because Lancelot fought similarly when he was twelve summers."

Lancelot snorted and said, "I changed right quick in Briton. If I hadn't I would have died that very first year."

The other Knights nodded us Ula stepped in and said, "Tis late, we should prepare for the night, My Lords."

Lancelot nodded in agreement as he said, "We'll be bedding down now. Do you have night sentries that we need to be aware of?"

Babai warned, "We have a night watch. But, we have heard of a large group of bandits nearby…be on guard."

Lancelot nodded and turned to Tristran, the Head of Intelligence, nodded and said blandly, "I'll stand watch."

The next chapter will focus on Gawain and Galahad as the eleven tribes come together for a meeting, and something else that will cause problems for our lovable knights and their families!!!


	2. Chapter 2

The Return to Sarmatia 2

He didn't know what awoke him.

As he turned to his side to give his wife a loving glance, he spotted a pair of feet pacing lightly, not enough to make any sound but still enough to awaken him, and sighed. There was only one man alive that could walk and make no sound at all-Tristran. When he was dressed for the day, he placed gentle kisses on his twins' heads and ran his finger loving down Cadman's nose and exited the tent with nary a whisper.

As he walked sedately to his friend's side with his head down from sleepiness, he frowned with confusion. Tristran was wearing his battle-hardened boots. Then he remembered his father's words from last night; there were bandits in the area.

Lancelot glanced up at his friend's serious face and followed his gaze up into the sky.

Siolae was flying low to the ground and circling ominously.

All the scout said as he turned and walked purposely to the wagon that held their weapons and battle armor was, "Bandits."

Lancelot nodded with a heavy frown and yelled as his mind flew through battle strategies and light army maneuvers as he saw from the corner of his eye his wife, mother, and father exit their respected tents wiping the sleep from their glazed eyes, "Knights!!! To arms!!!"

With great pride in the men and women that he lead, the First Knights watched as the twenty knights that had _'escorted'_ them ran out of their tents-hopping into their leggings as they went.

As Lancelot reached Tristran, he nodded in greeting to Galahad and Gawain, who were already there. Their hair was in disarray, something Gawain hated as his hair caused him problems later on, but their eyes were sharp and alert as they always had been right before a battle.

Quickly and efficiently, they were armored up in their light armor and Lancelot turned to his wife, who was waiting patiently for his directions because this was a battle as she was regulated to a Healer during these times and had no command in battle-except for what their people gave her with their love and respect for her, and said, "You know what to do."

Emogen nodded and rushed to the second wagon where their medical supplies were. She wasn't at all surprised to see Enys, Alma, and Ula already there putting on their battle gear.

Enys smiled at her and said as she handed Emogen her gear, "Here we go again."

Babai and Ama were confused.

As they joined their eldest son and his fellow Knights, Ama had to smile in awe despite her confusion. Her son had grown up to be a great and powerful not to mention handsome man. She let her eyes, though losing some of they're strength with age, roam over his strong, virile body and smiled. Her son was dressed in black, sturdy boots that held a knife in the left boot, thick, hardened, black leather leggings, a black belt with a silver buckle engraved with a lion leaping out in a roar with it's claws out stretched for battle, with an emerald jeweled dagger at his right hip, an emerald green loose shirt with a steel armored chest plate that completely surrounded his body for peak protection, two forearm guards made of a metal she had never seen before with an emerald globe over the top of his hands, and his twin blades strapped to his shoulders.

His fellow Knights, both Sarmatian brothers and Briton knights, were dressed in similar armor.

Ama turned her gaze to Gawain Gray-Wolf and Galahad Greenhill of the Wolf Tribe. She had been angry and upset, and understandably so, when the First Prince had said that Princess Agrimpasa was dead by Miskoc's hand, but at the same time she was relieved-she didn't want Queen Malana of the Wolf Tribe to be family. Ever since they were young girls, they had competed in everything from swords, to cooking, to sewing, and even to men. She was just lucky that Babai chose her, a non-blood related princess compared to Malana, who was a cousin on Babai's father's side three times removed.

Gawain and Galahad were dressed identically except for their shirt colors and weapons. Gawain had on stout black leather boots, thick, hardened, black leather leggings, a black belt with a bronze buckle engraved with a wolf leaping out into battle with a snarl on it's furred face, with an amber jeweled dagger strapped to his left thigh, an amber yellow loose shirt with a steel armored chest plate that completely surrounded his body for peak protection, two steel forearm guards with two globes of amber on the top of his hands, and his twin battle axes strapped to his hips for easy access.

Galahad had on boots that were black and very well-worn but still very much usable in battle, thick, black leather leggings for protection against sword nicks, a black belt with a bronze buckle engraved with a wolf leaping out into battle with a snarl on it's furred face, with a light blue topaz jeweled dagger strapped to his left thigh, a light blue loose shirt with a steel armored chest plate that completely surrounded his body for peak protection, two steel forearm guards that went from his wrist nearly up to his elbows with two globes of light blue topaz over his hands, and his sword strapped to his back with a pack of arrows as well and his bow hanging over his left shoulder.

Then she turned her gaze to the last Knight, Tristran Sharpeye, and First Prince of the Panther Tribe. He was dressed like the others-she noticed, but there were distinct differences. Like the others he had on stout black leather boots, thick, hardened, black leather leggings, a black belt with a buckle engraved with a bronze panther leaping out into battle with it's furred face open in a loud battle cry, with a purple topaz jeweled dagger strapped to his hips, a dark purple nearly black loose shirt with a steel armored chest plate that completely surrounded his body for peak protection, two forearm guards with two globes of purple on top of his hands, and a curved eastern styled sword upon his back along with a bundle of arrows and a bow over his left shoulder.

She was ever so proud of them all. In fact, she approved of her son's choice of women to be his wife. And their children-she absolutely adored them! She couldn't wait to spoil them rotten!

She frowned and cleared her thoughts of such things as Babai asked in a slightly anxious tone, "What's wrong? Why are you readying for battle?"

Lancelot raised and eyebrow and said nothing to his father as he began barking out orders in a commanding but still awe-inspiring tone in Gaelic, _**"Archers! Front and center! Infantry, second line!!! Lady Knights! Swords out at the ready! Partners, shields up !!"**_

Galahad winced because Lancelot ignored his father's question. Not that the trainer blamed him. Lancelot didn't approve of answering clearly obvious questions. The First Knight thought that a man should be clever enough to figure out the situation easily enough based on the events at hand, and clearly the newest events had a clear and understandable finish-battle.

He cleared his throat and answered before Babai had time to get mad, "We're under attack."

Hera, who had come up behind her parents to support them, however little she could along with her brother and sister, exclaimed, "There is no one there!!"

The other Knights, who had ignored the young teenager, jumped on their horses in ways that surprised their Sarmatian kinsmen as their knights jumped to do as their First Knight had commanded: Lancelot swung upon his horse, twenty-one year old Vertigo, from the left flank while it ran by him to the frontlines, Tristran ran towards the downward slope of the land and lunged on top of his horse, Silentfoot, as his stallion ran across the grasslands, Galahad swung atop his horse, Maphestas, as it stopped for a split second-not enough time for it to truly stop just look like it did- and then bolt to the front of the battle lines, and Gawain swung up top to his horse's, Azon's, back while it ran past him, like Lancelot did, but from the right instead of the left.

As Ama tried to reach her eldest children, who had joined the small army Lancelot and the others commanded, Emogen, who was dressed in strong, brown leather boots that each held a tiny fist dagger, brown, skin-tight, leather leggings with a leather belt to match embedded with lion heads and two Sais at the small of her barely visible back, a brown leather corset top that held one inch thick steel plates in it for added protection, and her curly black hair pulled up into an Amazonian styled ponytail, cut her off by grabbing her elbow, and said, "We need you to protect the children…please Queen Ama…protect your grandchildren-if not for me, then for Lancelot."

Emogen smiled lightly and added with a few tears in her eyes and warmth and love in her voice, "He loves those three so very much, as do I."

Hera, her sixteen-year-old daughter, smiled warmly at her sister-n-law and said reassuringly as she pulled a short sword from the weapons-wagon, "We will."

As Babai, Tarkan, Zimkar, Garen, Tanais, Pappy, Habren, Melean, Agravine, Ilona, Calbur, and the other able-bodied men and women of the Lion Tribe joined the Knights of the Round Table and the Briton Knights of the Dragon Order, whom the Knights of the Round Table were apart of, Zimkar demanded as he heaved his sword onto his shoulder to rest it in a candid, charming way, "How do you know we're under attack?"

Tanais of the Wolf Tribe was going to answer when Gawain glared down at Lancelot's youngest brother and said simply as he pointed to the beautiful hawk circling in the air, "Siolae, she's never wrong."

Tanais winced as Zimkar opened his mouth in retaliation, but gasped along with the other Sarmatians as an arrow's hissing was heard.

Zimkar, who was dreading his fate, looked up in time to see his doom. He closed his eyes and awaited the pain that would be his guide into the Steppes of Mithras.

Babai saw it too.

Before he could push his youngest son out of the way, a sword, a very familiar sword to Zimkar, appeared in front of his heart flat side proudly challenging the arrow's deadly aim, and a resounding **'GONG'** was heard as the arrow slammed into the sword.

Lancelot's amused voice commanded as he pulled his sword away quickly, "You can open your eyes now, Zimkar. You're not hurt."

Zimkar opened his eyes in astonishment. His eyes showed his disbelief as he patted down his body. He was alive and unhurt-not even a scratch!

He turned to his father to thank him for saving his life, but stopped when he saw his father's wide eyes staring out towards the _'supposedly'_ attacking invaders.

He followed his father's gaze and gulped.

Upon the highest hill, that his brother had appeared on just yesterday was a large group of bandits, who were yelling and waving their weapons in the air above their heads in challenge.

Lancelot didn't waist time; he glanced up, saw Siolae, heard her two cries, and nodded as he yelled out his orders once more in Gaelic, _**"Archers! Fire!!!!!!!!"**_

Before Zimkar could yell at him for wasting arrows, over twenty arrows flew through the air and easily slammed into the poorly protected hides of the invading attackers. Zimkar blinked and quickly counted the archers…_**one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…ten?!? How'd they shoot twenty arrows at the same time?!?**_

He gasped in amazement, along with his fellow tribesmen as the ten archers knocked two arrows into their bowstrings and released them in quick order.

As Ama and Hera arrived with the still half-asleep children of Lancelot, Tristran, Gawain, and Galahad they came upon Enys, Alma, Ula, and Emogen setting up a place for the wounded.

As Emogen set up the last grass mat and blanket, she turned and exclaimed, "Enid! Erlina! Cadman!"

The three other Healers spun around and cried out happily, "Briac! Aithne!"-"Briana! Belaya!"-"Dunham! Amage!"

Ama and Hera quickly passed the four babies to their anxious mothers as Enid pulled on Ama's shirtsleeve and asked with oddly solemn eyes, "What's going on grandma?"

Ama sighed and answered back as calmly as she could, "We're being attacked my emerald. We need to find a place to hide."

Before Enid could respond to that, she was swept up into her mother's embrace along with her twin, Erlina, and exclaimed, "Mummy! You're going into battle!!"

Emogen smiled down at her children, placed Cadman in Ama's arms once more as Enys did the same with Aithne, and said as Ula and Alma placed Amage and Belaya in Hera's arms, "Yes, we are. You need to be good for your grandmother, okay?"

Erlina and Enid wrapped their tiny arms around their grandmother's dress and said, "Yes, mummy."

With a nod Emogen turned to Ama, and mounted her horse along with her other friends.

They stared at one another for nearly a minute before Hera exclaimed heatedly, "Oh stop it already! Mother, Lancelot picked Lady Emogen for a reason! Why can't you respect that?! It's not like you were excited to be related to Queen Malana or anything!"

As Emogen smiled at her words and placed her saddle on her horse's, Light of Hope's, back, Ula, who was close by, ordered as she stared into very similar black-brown, fiery eyes, "Get in the wagon. The children have been trained since they were toddlers to remain inside incase we are attacked."

Ama stared in open-mouthed shock at the woman before her. She had met Ula last night along with the others, but it was to dark to see her features clearly, and she was more focused on her son's return and his family to bother with anyone else. Now, she couldn't help but stare.

If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was looking at a younger version of her mother, Dowager Queen Prioska of the Cheetah Tribe…that or her older, fraternal, deceased, twin brother, Vilmos.

Ula didn't appreciate how Ama was looking at her and demanded with crossed arms, "What?!"

Ama shook her head and said as she looked reassuringly at the four young mothers, "We'll protect the children."

She turned to her daughter-n-law, the woman her eldest son had chosen to be his mate for life, and ended with a tiny, proud smile, "After all, my son and daughter shouldn't have to worry about the safety of their children."

Emogen smiled brightly and thankfully at Ama, who nodded in return.

Alma tossed her head over her right shoulder and said shortly because she was focused on the line of bandits before her, "There's the wagon. It had been outfitted with steel plates before we left, so you'll have some more protection if you remain for the most part inside."

As Ama pulled the children inside, and Hera guarded the only entrance, Hera asked, "Why aren't you four up there with the others?"

When the last of the volleys were successfully launched at the invaders, Enys replied as she tightened her grip on her horse with her thighs, "We're Rescue Healers."

Hera, being only sixteen and still undeniably curious, asked again, "What are…"

Alma interrupted, "You'll see soon enough."

When the last arrow hit and ended the life of another charging bandit, Lancelot raised his arm and shouted as he kept a hawk's eye on the rushing attackers, "HOLD!!!!!!!!!"

Babai eyed his son faithfully. He had every confidence in his son's legendary leadership abilities. Lancelot would have made a great leader for their tribe, but he knew Lancelot would not remain in Sarmatia very long. His heart now belongs to Emogen, who belonged to the island of Briton, so Lancelot too belongs to Briton.

As the bandits grew closer and closer, and still his son did not order an attack, he gripped his sword anxiously. This was the hardest part of war, he remembered, the wait. He knew Lancelot had a reason for waiting though-he just needed to be patient and trust that his son had a plan.

Tristran, from atop of Silentfoot, eyed his hawk. When she dive-bombed a pair of bandits in the front charge, Tristran knocked two arrows and let them fly.

Tarkan whistled in admiration when the two bandits fell down dead with an arrow protruding from one of their eyes. He had known, from months of interaction with the Marquis of Albion and Head of Intelligence that Tristran was a marksman, but he hadn't realized that the scout was so skilled.

Calbur, who had left her fiancée alone for the majority of their time in Briton and their travels, slid up to him, placed her hand high upon his protected thigh, and said seductively as she rubbed the inside of his leg close to his male organ, "Excellent shot, my husband."

Tristran glared at her and said steely, "Leave me alone before I remove your hand…permanently."

Ilona, who was on her horse behind her brother, narrowed her eyes. Calbur was up to something again and again it involved her eldest brother. She knew Calbur would be more aggressive in trying to win over Tristran once they were back in Sarmatia because she would have the support of her and Tristran's mother, Tyze, but this was getting ridiculous!

She smiled slightly as she visualized her brother's wife, son, and daughter. Those three had become her light in the darkness of her world. While she loved her son, he was a disappointment, and she blamed it not on him, but on her mother, Tyze, and her husband, Burdin. Her sister-n-law and nephew, like most of the Britons she had encountered during her tenure in Camelot and Albion, didn't mock her for her muteness.

Instead they had accepted her as she was and had attempted to learn her visual language from herself and or the Knights, so they could talk and interact with her. She was going to make sure that Calbur didn't ruin her brother's life-even if it cost her, her own life.

She was pulled from her thoughts of debunking Calbur and the laughter of the Britons, when and arrow hissed by her face and was thankfully blocked by one of the shields the Knights of Briton carried and as Lancelot raised his sword and yelled out in Briton so all of them could understand, the bandits reached the center of the small valley, only about twenty yards away, "CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sorry, this chapter came out differently than I imagined it would. The battle and Gawain and Galahad's time will be in the next chapter…PROMISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

The Return to Sarmatia 3

These scenes are happening at the same time nearly!

The Sarmatians rushed bravely into battle behind the Knights of the Dragon Order, and as they clashed with the bandits, who were charging up the hill, and met the bandits with a fervor that would make their ancestors proud.

Since they had the advantage of added height and long-range archers, the Knights were in high spirits as they crashed through the first rows of the attacking bandits. Distantly, Lancelot wondered why there were so many for a simple plunder, but he tossed the idea out of his head as he met the gaze of a weighty set man with arms the size of an old Briton oak tree.

But, before he could challenge the large muscled bandit, he had to get through two others. He spurred Vertigo on and easily beheaded the two men that were defending the larger man with his twin demons while Tristan and Galahad, who were to the far left of him each plunged their blades through the shoulder joints of their opponents, and Gawain plowed one of his horse-javelins through the heart of another bandit on horseback. Lancelot didn't even mind the blood that splattered his face and armor-he's had enough blood coating him in his life not to be sickened by it.

Sir Bruce, Sir Brice, and Lady Knight Chloe, whom were right behind their leader's, hacked at the three bandits by stabbing their fronts and their backs by pushing their swords into the gullets of the men and then plunging the swords through their spinal cords as their horses ran past.

Tristran kept an eye on his little sister, Ilona, as she rode with him into the thick of the battle, and couldn't help but feel proud of her as she threw a javelin straight into the heart of a rushing bandit. Calbur, who was behind him, and whom he could care less about, was following close behind him-much to his annoyance.

Ilona smiled darkly as she nodded to her brother and split from him. If this had happened before she and the others had left for Briton, she wouldn't have been able to throw the weapon. It was only with Tristran, Lancelot, and Galahad's help was she able to now throw the javelin like a gladiator of old.

Lancelot, despite the fact that he was deeply involved with the heavy set bandit, kept a close eye on his brother, Tarkan, and his sister, Habren.

As he dodged a forward and downward slash from the man, he watched as Tarkan and Habren each simply stabbed their victims through and followed Lancelot as he and the others plowed through the lines. Habren had to slam herself down on her horse's back, as an arrow whizzed by her left cheek. Unfortunately and fortunately, the arrow only lightly sliced her cheek. She ignored the blood as it dribbled into her mouth and instinctively spit it out.

Tanais and Garen, who attempted to keep up with Galahad and Gawain, or suffer horribly when Garen's aunt, Queen Malana, arrived removed their bandit's heads.

Once through the worst of the lines, out of archer range, and deep within bandit lines, the eight remaining archers shot again killing sixteen more bandits as they, the foot soldiers and Lion Tribesmen, slammed into the remaining bandits.

As Lancelot twirled away from the heavy thief on horseback to engage a young man trying to sneak up behind him, the muscled man reached high and yanked him off his seat.

He yelped in pain as his head slammed roughly into the rocky ground. Unfortunately, he got no respite as the large man raised his sword ready to plunge it into his heart.

Thoroughly dizzy, Lancelot automatically and instinctively rolled to the left and heard a satisfying thunk-the sword was now deeply embedded in the earth. Rather than make himself sick by rolling over and causing his vision to spin, he whistled sharply as the bandit stupidly yanked and pulled on his lost-to-battle sword-in perfect range of Vertigo's hindquarters.

As he climbed to his feet, he smiled-the bandit, while physically stronger and bigger than he, no longer had a chest-instead he had two hoof print indentions.

Then his smile dimmed a bit as he saw from the corner of his eye as a vicious looking brat cut through Melean from behind. Lancelot met his murderous eyes and snarled. He may not have liked Melean because he was married to his little sister, but he did respect him. _In honor of his sacrifice, and for Habren's heart, I __**MUST**__ fight and avenge him!!!_

Lancelot charged and as he rushed into the young man's personal space, he tripped the still growing boy and swung his arm in a downward arc. He felt a tiny spark of guilt as the boy's murderous eyes cleared and revealed young innocent brown eyes staring happily up at him. The boy, a murderer by coercion, at the moment of his death became the young happy young man he should have always been. And in that moment, all of Lancelot's guilt vanished like the British mists on a hot day.

_I'm still undefeated! _

As was their habit of twenty-five years, Gawain and Galahad plunged into battle as one. It was a habit they had developed in their tribe before they had even set out for Briton for their servitude twenty-one years ago. While Gawain attacked with his double-headed battle-axes, Galahad defended from Maphestas' back with his bow and arrow.

When they reached the center of the battle lines, Gawain jumped off Azon and stabbed the nearest bandit in the gut with one of his battle-axes.

Galahad remained on horseback and shot arrow after arrow at the rushing bandits as they tried to surround and trap him and his brother. He had just finished off his last arrow, when a hand appeared to the right of him, gripped his armor tightly, and dragged him off Maphestas' back.

As Gawain met the rushing attacker, he sensed another come up from behind him. He quickly looked for his brother, but Galahad was no longer a top his white-hared gray speckled horse. He quickly spun into the bandit's defense, to hack into the attacker's intestines, and met the second rival head on. Fortunately for him, as he took a deep breath to engage the bandit, Garen, his cousin, jumped in front of him and fought to dirty man instead.

Galahad was shocked to feel Maphestas no longer under him, but he recovered quickly enough. As he met each swing from his opponent's sword with one of his own, in the corner of his eye, he spotted Tanais and Brice close by; that meant that Bruce and Lady Knight Chloe were too because Bruce and Brice were twins and Lady Chloe was the fiancée of Brice, and he'd never let her out of her sight.

Agravine with Tarkan, Pappy, and Habren all grouped back-to-back to protect their weak sides, couldn't help but pray silently to Mithras. As he dodged a hastily swung blade from a fifteen-year-old bandit, he glanced around. All around them were an endless sea of men, women, flesh, and blood.

Even with the height advantage and early long-range archers, the bandits were slowly but surely pushing them back up the hill in certain places. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward as hard as he could. He wouldn't disappoint Gawain and Galahad! He wouldn't! Especially when the two brothers, along with Lancelot, trained him and the others to be better than this!!!

He carelessly hacked away the boy's sword hand, slashed his torso, and winced-the weak points in their defense came from the Lion Tribesmen who were not being lead by the Knights or those trained by the Romans-like Babai and Miskoc.

They would lose.

Lancelot's battle plans were brilliant, but their numbers were too small, and there were simply too many bandits against their measly five-dozen defenders.

_I'm sure of it._

Tristran, with Ilona and Calbur close by, serenely hacked away at the men who foolishly challenged him.

As Ilona and Calbur each engaged one man in battle, Tristran circled slowly to eye the three who had surrounded him. In quick, merciless succession, Tristran slit the throat of the man before him, sliced deeply into the main artery, near another man's genitals, and stabbed heartlessly into the man's heart behind him. Once finished, he blandly swiped the air to remove the blood on his sword and looked to the two women with him.

Ilona was huffing, but at her feet was a man missing his left arm. The blood puddle underneath him was impressive.

Calbur, who also stood over a dead man, was covered in blood and heaving deeply. A red flush covered her entire face, neck, and even lower down to cover the swell of her breasts.

She eyed Tristran like he was a hunk of raw meat to her half-crazed, starved, traveler persona. As he looked into her eyes, he shuddered. Her eyes were alight with bloodlust and simple, raw, physical, carnal lust.

Then and there he knew-she didn't **REALLY** want him. She just wanted a murderous, sex-crazed, homicidal maniac.

_Just like her!!!_

Ilona tapped him on the back and pointed up the hill with a happy, hopeful smile-ten more riders, all armed to the teeth, were rushing to their aid.

More importantly, one of the riders carried the symbol of the Wolf Tribe-Gawain and Galahad's tribe had arrived.

Meanwhile back at the wagons, as their husbands' waged war, the Ladies of Camelot waited anxiously on their horses for their signal to enter battle.

Hera cursed at them and yelled angrily, "Why aren't you helping?!"

Before Ama could chastise her, a low, rumbling horn note was heard. It echoed loudly throughout the valley and Alma retorted over her shoulder, "We were waiting for that! YIAH!!!!!!!!!!"

Ama and Hera watched with wide eyes and the four women, each queen's-to-be of three of the eleven Sarmatian Tribes rode into the thick battlefield.

Almost immediately, Ula returned with one of their tribesmen, Moran, who was heavily bleeding from a wound to the head and a deep cut to the arm.

Ula quickly carried the half-conscious man to a bedroll, pulled out her healing pack and gauze, a bowl of preheated water, and began to quickly and proficiently clean and stitch the wounds.

As she did that, Alma returned with a knight of Briton and Enys returned with a Lady Knight, and Ula answered professionally, "This is what a Rescue Healer does. We go into battle, rescue the wounded or dying men and women, and bring them back safely behind our own battle lines."

Emogen was beyond worried. Everywhere she looked she saw a mix of mix-matched clothes that identified the bandits. Very rarely did she see the British armor of her beloved kinsmen and women. As she rode through the battle, she ripped off her bow and let fly three arrows in rapid order.

In the cleared space, she gasped in horror-Zimkar was down and wounded badly and Babai was too, but he was still trying to defend and protect his youngest son. She rode up to them, making three of the attacking bandits disappear, less her horse kick them, and dismounted in one smooth, expert, movement.

Babai acknowledged her with a nod and a smile as she smoothly pulled out her twin Sais and twirled them at the bandits with a challenging smile. Two bandits answered her challenge.

Babai was happy for the help. The father of Lancelot was impressed as his daughter-n-law got rid of the bandits quickly with skills similar to his son's. As he battled a young one, he thought _she's a warrior too! Her skills have some of our tribe's influence…that must be because she and Lancelot have trained together. Ama will welcome her without the test when I tell her of this!!_

When the area around them was mostly clear, Emogen turned to Babai and ordered, "Help me get him on Light of Hope. He needs immediate healing."

Together they got Zimkar on Emogen's pure white horse, and in a burst of speed, they were gone.

As they area quickly filled up again with Knights and bandits, Babai thought as he engaged yet another man in battle, _there are too many!!! We __**NEED**__ help!!!_

Tristran was amazed when he and the other Knights miraculously met in the center of the battle with three Lady Knights, Agravine, Garen, Tarkan, and Ilona, and Galahad cried out, "There are too many Lance! What now?!"

Lancelot yelled back, "Summon as many Archers as possible! Tell them to shoot at will!!!"

The four men shared a glance, but they knew they had nothing else to lose. Lancelot's last command was suicide, but they didn't have a choice-to protect their loved ones, sacrifices must be made-from them all.

Galahad raised a pure golden horn carved into a glorious dragon with dark sapphire eyes and a sword clutched in it's front claws and blew a nice long note followed by three short blasts. As the four tones reverberated throughout the valley, not five seconds later, eight arrows sang through the air from four different directions and twice more before they fell silent.

Tristran, wanting to boost his fellow Sarmatian's spirits, added, "We have help!!!"

Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and Tristran all gave a loud **RUSSS**, which gave their wounded and tired Knights hope as ten more people entered the battle armed to the teeth with swords, bows, and javelins.

"My Queen!! The Lion Tribe is under attack by bandits!!" exclaimed her eldest son from her first marriage, Rugon.

Malana snorted and replied blissfully because this was the one thing she had always hoped for-the end of the Lion Tribe's might, power, and influence, "Let them deal with it! Lets see how mighty the Lion truly is."

Gowan, her youngest child from her first marriage, interrupted slyly, "Mother! Don't you remember what Queen Ama's letter told us?!? Gawain and Galahad should have arrived yesterday with Agrimpasa and First Prince Lancelot!!! Will you leave them for dead now, just when you received the power to manipulate the Lion's thrown?"

Queen Malana's two sons and daughters watched as their mother paled and ordered as she pulled out her own sword, "To arms!!!"

Lancelot sighed in relief. With the arrival of their saviors, the battle had ended rather quickly. As the Knights trudged up the hill with the remaining defenders of the Lion Tribe, Lancelot asked as he came upon a small lake of dead, dying, or wounded, "Numbers???"

As she wrung her hands together nervously and at the same time tried to keep her granddaughter's from seeing the bloody field, Ama watched with wide, worried eyes, as her daughter-n-law rambled off as she quickly sewed Zimkar worst cuts across his forearms, "We have seven KIA, one is dead, and twenty-two are WIA."

Galahad barked as he placed a warm, gentle hand on his wife's shoulder as she pulled a blanket over the pale body of one of their knights, "Break down?"

Enys sighed and said as Habren weeped over the dead body of Melean, "Five Sarmatians are dead and Sir Mitchell and Lady Knight Fionn are dead. Melean is dead, and twelve are wounded from the Lion Tribe and ten of our knights are too. They'll live."

Gawain sighed as he said thankfully, "Eight…we were lucky. It could have been worse…a lot worse."

Galahad who had a sluggishly bleeding upper arm asked cheerfully as he took the offered gauze from Alma and applied pressure to his wound, "So, who are our saviors?!"

From behind them, a pompous, cold, vile voice from his past answered for him as Ama's face transformed into a visage of pure hate, "I, Queen Malana of the Wolf Tribe, am the Mighty Lion Tribe's Savior. Who are you boy? You don't dress like a Sarmatian or a Roman??"

Enys watched her husband in concern as Galahad's face paled, his eyes popped wide open, and as he dropped the gauze he whispered loudly, "Mother…"

Gawain quickly moved to his catch his little brother and greeted the gathered Wolf Tribe as he met the eyes of his Sarmatian kin, "Well, this is unexpected…"

He ended in a murderous rage as his gaze evenly matched his mother's shocked and horrified hazel ones that he had unfortunately inherited, "…hello…mother…"


	4. Chapter 4

The Return to Sarmatia 4

Sorry for being away for a while! First I spent a week in Austin, and I had to catch up on my reading and I needed to regain my muse for both of my King Arthur stories.

This might be shorter than the other stories, but it is wrought with emotion and Knightly struggles.

Focuses more on Galahad, Gawain, and their family, The Wolf Tribe!!

As Gawain handed his baby brother off to Lancelot, who had come to his side in support as he had done for the First Knight the day before, the brother of Galahad smiled lightly and greeted his eldest brothers, the heirs to the Coyote and Wolf Tribes, by way of marriage, cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but see Lancelot's father whisper into Ama's ear and point towards Emogen with pride. He smiled softly and thought _at least one of use will not have any troubles whilst here…._

Gawain couldn't help but bite his lip in sadness as he remembered his **eldest** half-brother, Donnoz son of the Late-King Donkir of the Coyote Tribe and his mother Malana, ex-Queen of the Coyote Tribe and Dowager Queen of the Wolf Tribe.

He couldn't help but be repulsed by his mother and her greedy ways.

Malana had always wanted power and a lot of it. Her father had been the Viceroy to his grandfather, King Agamemnon of the Wolf Tribe, and as such, her powerful lifestyle was one she clung to with a viciousness that startled many of the Sarmatian Tribes. In fact, her greed could only be matched by the ravenousness of the Roman Lords of the Empire.

Malana's thirst for power had started when her father, Viceroy Rabadron, started to groom her for Queenship as Queen of the Lion Tribe, at the age of seventeen. At the time, the Lion Tribe had recently lost its King, King Berk father of First Prince Babai, and all the eligible maidens were anxiously awaiting his choice of wife.

Malana, who was recently widowed due to her husband's death in a raid by the Huns, had four young sons from her first marriage. Her position as Queen of the Coyote Tribe was secure with the birth of four pureblooded heirs to the thrown, but still she wanted more power, more influence over all eleven tribes of Sarmatia.

Her main competition was Princess Ama of the Cheetah Tribe and between the two of them all others fell short. Malana wanted the power of the Lion Thrown because the Lion Tribe was were all other tribes descended from.

As the legends told, Ares, God of War, and a nymph named Harmonia, gave birth to the first Amazons named Hippolyta, Smyrna, Ephesus, Sinope, and Paphos. Each girl-child was groomed for battle and war by their immortal father, and each girl was familiar with specific animals: Hippolyta, the eldest, was familiar with the lion, Smyrna was familiar with the cheetah, Ephesus was familiar with the tiger, Sinope was familiar with the panther, and Paphos was familiar with the leopard. Unfortunately, all but Hippolyta had been killed with Hines's Blood and their remains were buried in the exact places that the cities were established in their honor.

Hippolyta, enraged by her sisters' deaths, swore to get her revenge by raising an entire race of both female and male warriors. In doing so, she created the famed warriors of legend called the Sarmatians.

Malana, with greed and lust for power in her heart, had tried to tempt Babai, Prince of the Lion Tribe, to her bed, but her evil maidenly actions and her horrible disrespect towards fair play in tournament battle cost her the Queenship of the Lion Tribe. Instead Ama had won the tournament for Babai's heart and Malana had to settle for the second most powerful tribe, the Wolf Tribe and Prince Buecan as her new husband.

Malana, ever a fertile young woman, gave Buecan two sons, Gawain and Galahad, and three daughters, Agrimpasa, Athena, and Areia, and all her children, except for her only daughters, were married. Each child had married princesses or noble ladies of the Sarmatian Tribal Courts, and still she was insatiable for more power.

His mother never cried. She never smiled. She never loved, and she never cared. When Donnoz died, Gawain had sent a letter home to tell her, and all he got back was a letter that said _my eldest died in combat for an Empire that does not care. Why should I?_

In that one moment, Gawain realized that his mother was a monster, who cared for no one but herself and her luxuries. In that moment, his childhood desire for love and attention from his mother vanished like the Briton mists. In that moment, his innocence melted away from his heart and left a hole the size of the Roman Empire within it. Donnoz, his eldest half-brother, the one he looked to for support and love, had been killed in combat nearly eleven years ago in a horrible snowstorm that had ravaged the lands of Vindolanda.

Even now, he could still remember the screams of his eldest half-brother as he was cut down that awful, appalling winter…

_It was dark, rainy, and freezing. The sky above them rumbled ominously and Donnoz, Gawain, and Yvain had, unfortunately drawn the misfortune of guard duty that day. As they were on their last leg of the journey, before they reached the Wall, they had encountered a small band of twenty or so Woads. Gawain immediately noticed that his eldest brother was being singled out from him and Yvain and tried to go to his brother's rescue._

_Not caring one way or another whether or not Yvain survived the fight at the moment, Gawain beheaded the Woad he was fighting and summoned forth his javelin and readied himself to throw it into one of the Woads' backs. _

_Seeing that Gawain had armed himself with a long reaching weapon, the Woads still surrounding him drew a dagger and or small knife from their sheaths and began to stall for time._

_"Donnoz! Behind you!" shouted Gawain angrily as he slammed his javelin into the gullet of one of the Woads before him. _

_His brother shouted an exclamation back to him, alerting him that Donnoz had heard him. He moved in carefully, but forcefully, and attacked one of the Woads around him with a slash to the forearm. The Woad blocked it with ease, and counter-attacked with a blow to the head. _

_Gawain watched horrified as the Woad block the head strike with a dagger and kicked Donnoz in the knee, dislocating it. _

_Donnoz swore and popped the knee back in place with a yelp of sever pain. _

_Grimacing at the Woad, Donnoz planted his last javelin down butt first and swung himself up, kicking the Woad in the chest with both feet. Following through, Gawain's eldest brother landed solidly and thrust the Javelin through the chest of the Woad with a yell of victory._

_As he died, Donnoz gasped and looked down in shock, the Woad that he had kept within his eye gaze during most of the battle, had come up from behind him and thrust his short, jagged edged, dagger through his gut and viciously yanked it out. _

_Gawain, who was still surrounded by aristocratic looking Woads, yelled in anguish as his only familial support, besides Galahad, bled to death on the pure white snow of Briton. _

_From his side, Yvain grunted and said in a non-committal voice, "Come, we have to go, we're out numbered three to one." _

_Gawain just looked at him and replied with scorn, "Fuck off! What do you think I am? Some weak willed fighter that leaves those to die alone?! He deserves to be buried with our fellow brothers-n-arms!" _

_But Yvain didn't listen to him. Instead, the older Knight, knocked him harshly behind the head, threw him over his horse, and road back to the wall leaving behind the slowly dying body of Donnoz and his and Donnoz's horses._

_The last thing Gawain remembered hearing from his brother was his screams of pain as his life blood slowly bled out of him and his cursing him and Galahad to the deepest, darkest, levels of Arthur's hell._

And he had never forgiven himself for it either.

Gawain cleared his throat and started again, "Hello, mother, Rugon, Gowan…it's nice to see you all again."

Malana, not wanting to listen to her offspring greet one another so informally, cut in and announced pompously, "Gawain, First Crown Prince of the Wolf Tribe, these are, as I'm sure you remember, your elder brothers, Rugon Sharpsnout, King of the Coyote Tribe, husband to Queen Agrippa Gnarlteeth, daughter of Viceroy Ruzit Gnarlteeth of the Coyote Tribe, and Gowan Silentclaw, Prince of the Coyote Tribe, husband of Second Crown Princess Missinia Slithertooth of the Snake Tribe. The two beautiful women before you are your sisters, Princesses Athena Greenwolf and Areia Goldeneye of the Wolf Tribe."

She turned to her four offspring and said as Galahad awakened and marched back up to Gawain's side, "My children, these are your **UN**-dead brothers, First Crown Prince, Prince Gawain Gray-wolf of the Wolf Tribe, betrothed to Lady Hippolyta Slithertongue of the Snake Tribe, daughter of Lord Tyzon Slithertongue of the Snake Tribe, and Second Crown Prince, Prince Galahad Greenhill of the Wolf Tribe, betrothed to Lady Antiope Spottedfoot, daughter of Lord Warnoz Spottedfoot of the Cheetah Tribe."

Malana folded her arms and smiled selfishly as the attention that had been focused on her during her speech, seemed to fold in on itself as no one could think up anything polite to say to one another.

Gowan, with a sneer turned to Galahad and said, "Galahad, you are a pathetic, weak-willed boy! How dare you faint like a feeble Roman slut and cause dishonor to our Tribe!"

Malana, who had spotted her future son-n-law, Lancelot, by his almost identical features to his father's, King Babai, unfolded her arms, marched right through her protesting youngest son, and demanded shortly into Lancelot's face in an attempt to intimidate him because she thought he was used to such behaviors from his ex-Roman Commander and she hoped to easily manipulate him, "Where is Agrimpasa? Where is my daughter? Your wife??"

Lancelot casually folded his arms, looked her directly in the face, and said, "Dead."

Ama, with her lips just slightly twitching in her attempt to withhold her glee, answered in a respectful tone of voice, "Princess Agrimpasa Wolfhill of the Wolf Tribe, betrothed of First Crown Prince Lancelot du Lac of the Lion Tribe is dead. She was found to be Lord Atilla du Huk of the Horse Tribe's supporter and in contempt of court. Lord Attila had attempted to kill First Crown Princess Imogene Surefoot of the Horse Tribe, daughter of First Crown Prince Dagonet Surefoot of the Horse Tribe. He, fortunately, didn't achieve his goals, but he did murder an innocent girl in the castle. She forego her chances in the British courts and as such, it fell to Lord Miskoc of the Horse Tribe to end her life by the Oath of Blood and the Oath of Mithras when it was revealed that **SHE**, and not Attila, had cut and gutted the innocent, **DEAD**, woman (see Reunion to know what I'm talking about)."

Queen Ama continued with pride in her voice, "My son, when his fifteen years were finished, found himself a wonderful Briton woman, who has birthed my son twin girls and a son. Lady Emogen of Briton has shown my husband and myself her fighting prowess and Healing abilities. She will not have to undergo the trial against Princess Habren du Lac. We have deemed her worthy to be our son's wife and future Queen of the Lion Tribe. We also, acknowledge their daughters, Erlina and Enid, as Princesses of the Lion Tribe and Lancelot's son, Cadman, as First Crown Prince of the Lion Tribe."

Lancelot, Emogen, Tristran, Ula, Alma, Enys, Gawain, and Galahad all breathed a tiny bit easier at those words. One part of many had been completed. Now they just had to convince the other families of the same.

Areia and Athena, who had been eyeing Lancelot up and down hungrily with their hormonal driven bodies, jumped up and down excitedly, showing off their true immature mentality, and exclaimed, **"I'M THE STRONGEST OF THE TRIBE!!!!"**

The two youngest daughters of Malana, turned to one another in surprise, growled at each other, and cried out, **"NO YOUR NOT!! I AM!!!"**

Areia got into her sister's face and said, **"I AM!!!"**

Athena, who was three years older and Areia, jumped into her baby sister's face and said harshly as she pushed the youngest down, **"I'M THE BEST ARCHER!!!!!!!!"**

Areia jumped to her feet and yelled back, **"BUT I'M THE BEST AT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!"**

The gathered group paid them little to no attention. Especially when they began to yell and scratch each other.

Malana, who had, had enough practice at ignoring her offspring, began to yell in her mind _**NO!!! That slut of a daughter of mine was my only chance to the Lion's Thrown!!! Now that, that bastard son of Ama's has a wife and heirs, it'll be that much harder to control him! If I cannot find a way to regain control of these BOYS, I'll never have the immortal blood of Hippolyta of the Lion within my line!! I MUST HAVE IT!!!! I MUST!!!!**_

She turned slightly to Lancelot and watched with a sneer as he held his only son close and placed a warm kiss upon his brow.

_**Such weakness is in him! How is it that HE carries the blood of Ares, Harmonia, and Hippolyta!?!? He is WEAK!!!!!!!!**_

She turned once again, slowly, towards her sons, Gawain and Galahad, and watched as they too held their children and wives close.

_**Those Briton sluts MUST go!!! The children I can use to control my sons. Once their WIVES are out of the way, I can place Hippolyta and Antiope in their places and raise the children so they are within my control…but HOW??? If I act to soon, suspicion will fall on me…**_

_**But I WANT the power! The influence of the Lions…how can I get Lancelot to rid himself of his British whore???**_

She eyed her quarreling daughters and watched in surprise as Galahad shoved each of them to the ground and said in a strict voice, "You are both of marriage age…**ACT LIKE IT!!!!!!!!**"

She spun back to Lancelot, saw him shake his head at her daughters, and smiled in a self-satisfying way. She'd use her daughters to her advantage. If her first daughter failed, then it wasn't her fault. It was Agrimpasa's. After all, she still had two more daughters-two more chances to the Lion Thrown.

And if that didn't work….

She could always kill Ama.

Gawain glared at his youngest sisters and started anew, "Mother, my brothers and sisters, the beautiful red hared woman before is my wife, Lady Alma Healing Wolfe, Lady of Medicine, Marquess of Ynys Wyth (Dragon Isle). The red hared angel in front of her is our daughter, Lady Briana Wolfe of the House of Wolfe and the babe is Lady Belaya Wolfe and the House of Wolfe."

Galahad waved his family forward and exclaimed proudly, "The pixie-like woman beside me is my wife, Lady Enys Tranquil Wolfe, Senior Lady of Medicine, Marquess of Lyonesse Isle."

He paused and watched his wife, with little Aithne securely held in her left arm, curtsy as best as she could.

He continued with a swelling confidence, "The young man before you is Lord Briac Wolfe of the House of Wolfe and the babe is Lady Aithne Wolfe of the House of Wolfe."

Their brothers weren't impressed with him at all.

Gowan smirked at his wife and said, "Your wife must be weaker than a roman high-born, for you my brother, are the weakest man in the entire Empire."

Galahad retorted, "I'd challenge you to see how well you can control yourself once your twin has been killed, but since you don't have one, I'll let that one go."

Gowan, the youngest prince to the Coyote Tribe, didn't like the fact that his even younger sibling was openly challenging him. In both the Coyote and Wolf Tribes, hierarchal power and political maneuvers were the only approved way to win in a challenge. To have Galahad openly challenge him was deviant and heretical!

Gowan stepped forward, pushed aside his mother like she was some common wanderer, and said heatedly, "I challenge you to a duel, boy!"

Enys shouted out in protest, "**NO!!**"

Lancelot and Tristran, who were eyeing the surrounding Wolf Tribesmen, all whom were related to Malana in some way, turned to one another and nodded as they fingered their weapons once more-no one would harm their family during this duel-no one.

Galahad hugged his wife close and said softly into her ear, "I must. This is the only way I can prove myself to my family and gain mother's respect. If I cannot do this, in their eyes, our children may suffer for my weakness."

Enys sniffed and nodded as Emogen and Alma cooed comforting things into her ears. Ula, who was behind Ama, crossed her arms and began to wish they had never left Britannia's shores.

Enys didn't agree with this **AT ALL!!!**

Garen, who had been shocked into silence by his relatives' reactions to one another, stepped forward and warned Gowan softly, "Be careful Gowan, Galahad isn't weak. He is the Trainer of the entire Briton Army and a Lord of Briton. Plus, his Roman Commander was the greatest one of all, Commander Lucius Artorius Castus, son of Uther Castus of Rome."

Gowan snorted and said as he pulled out his double bladed, doubled handed Roman long sword, "I don't believe a word you're saying, cousin. He's nothing but a weak pup that was pitied by a Roman."

Galahad, who had remained surprisingly calm during all the slams against his character, raised his blade and bowed respectfully.

Gowan glared at him and rushed in with Enys watching on helplessly with Briac hiding behind her and Aithne clutched in her arms.

As he came into his youngest brother's defense space, he swung his sword high above his head and cut down sharply into an arc aiming for Galahad's unprotected head.

Galahad frowned at him and simply slid to the right. He couldn't help but think that his brother was either going easy on him, or Gowan was incredibly lucky to have survived fifteen years in the wilds of the Roman Empire. The opening move was a move his novices made only once, and only once, during his training because the next move was predicable. Since the sword slid downwards, the only choice the sword wielder had was to swing the sword in a small circle with his fists to cut along the torso in a horizontal chop.

Which is was Gowan did. Galahad sighed, closed his eyes, and parried the chop to his side easily.

Enraged that his brother dismissed him as nothing but a distraction by closing his eyes, Gowan raised his foot and attempted to dislocate Galahad's supporting right leg.

Galahad, who had opened his eyes in time to see the kick, effortlessly jumped over the well-muscled leg and swung his sword down at his brother's unprotected chest at the same time.

Gowan yelped as he hurriedly raised his sword to block Galahad's swing and with adrenaline pulsing through his veins, pushed Galahad back and watched in victory as Galahad lost his footing and landed awkwardly on his feet.

Galahad swore as he gave up ground in an effort to regain his advantage over his older brother. He winced as his brother's tip sliced into his already wounded arm. He bit his lip as the cut deepened.

As Gowan moved in to end the duel, Galahad snorted at his impetuousness, tossed his sword into his left hand, and evenly matched his brother once again blow for blow.

Gowan's eyes widened in shock as his brother's skill with swords with his weaker left hand started to overcome his stronger right hand. Before he could regain his parries and blocks, Galahad stepped into his space, swung his sword tightly around them both, dislodged his sword and demanded as the tip of his sword met his bobbing Adam's apple, "Do you yield Gowan?!"

Gowan cursed but said, "I yield."

As Galahad removed his sword and rejoined his wife, children, and friends, Gowan promised as Rugon pulled him back behind his raging mother, "I'll get my honor back boy…just you wait."

The next chapter will hopefully explain some of the reasons **WHY** the Wolf Tribe is the exact opposite of what Gawain and Galahad remember from childhood. So, be on the look out alright!!! Oh, and Tristran's family makes and appearance!


	5. Chapter 5

The Return to Sarmatia 5

Note: Sorry this chapter is so late. I had a bit of writer's block for two weeks, and then I was in London, England on holiday for this past week. When I got back, I had A LOT of stories to read through and catch up on. I had a stroke of luck though while in England! My writer's lock is gone!!!

As Galahad reached his fellow brother's-n-arms, Gawain stepped forward and said to his brothers, sisters, and other tribesmen with a furrowed brow that conveyed his feelings of sadness and pride more than any of his words could express, "Now, now that that's out of the way, we must send our honorable Knights and Lancelot's tribesmen to the other side."

The lion hared Knight bit the inside of his cheek as he thought _what a __**wonderful**__ homecoming this is! Why the __**HELL**__ did we return again?? I mean, back home we live in relative peace, and I wouldn't have to deal with mum here if I had stayed...get a grip Gawain! The past is the past...deal with the here and now!!!_

As Gawain lightly shook his head to dislodge his current train of thought, he could see his leader biting his bottom lip at his words. It always killed Lancelot when one of their men or women died. The First Knight always felt like he had let the Knights down in some way when one of them died-he was a perfect match for Arthur in this manner.

Lancelot stepped forward, gained everyone's attention, and commanded strongly through a thick voice full of emotion, "Lady Knight Affrica, Lady Knight Brina tend to Lady Fionn body. Sir Durnhelm, Sir Droven, tend to Sir Mitchell's body and make sure to clean their weapons as well."

_I'm so sorry my Knights! I failed you! Now I must send you on your way to the next life, and I must tell your families upon our return to Britannia that you have passed. You will receive your honors and your families will be taken care of...this is my vow my Knights!!_

He turned to face his little sister, knelt down beside her, placed a gentle hand over her bowed head, and said softly and soothingly the words he had been thinking about since Melean's fall in battle, "Melean's death was an honorable one Habren. He died protecting both you and our kinsmen. I avenged him not a second after he fell. You must let the others tend to him now so you can ready yourself for the burial."

Habren, though she felt no passion for the man who was her husband, did have a certain fondness for him. Seeing his pale face and blue lips had frightened her more than she was willing to admit. Which scared her because she was no stranger to death. Unfortunately, something about Melean's blank eyes sent shivers of fear down her back. When her brother's words sunk in, she nodded and allowed her mother and little sister to escort her into her father's tent.

Once she was in the tent that had once been his childhood home, Lancelot finished, "Knights! Dress uniforms! Dismissed!"

Lancelot sighed, looked up into the blue skies he had once idolized not five years ago and said as his wife wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head upon is upper back, "Emmy, why, after all this time, does it still hurt to send my Knights to the beyond?"

Emogen placed a kiss on the back of his neck and said softly as she watched the others leave them alone to deal with their own post-battle stresses, "Because you care for each and every one of them. The day you stop hurting when one of the Knights die, is the day you are no longer a man, and that'll never happen."

Lancelot slowly turned in her arms, wrapped her up in his and said gently as he placed his head on top of hers, "I came so close to no longer being a man not to long ago though...the threat of becoming a monster is still real, Emmy."

Emogen shook her black curly head and said strongly with faith evident in her voice, "No it's not. You are no longer the man you once were. First off, the man from six years ago was a slave, angry, wifeless, loveless, and childless. On the other hand, today you have them all plus power and respect from all those under your command. Also, your friendship with Arthur has never been stronger too."

He smiled and said as he gently kissed her, "Where would I be now if I didn't have you to love me and guide me, my love?"

Emogen smiled mischievously and answered as she slipped out of his arms like water through fingers, "Probably dead or an old angry man with no light at all in his life."

Lancelot sputtered for a second before he chased her into their tent to ready themselves for the funeral.

Galahad nervously tucked in his dress uniform's tunic top into his light leather breeches and glanced into a highly polished steel mirror leaning against the wood wagon's side which operated as a forth wall for their tent's amazing three walled construction. He could see that Enys wanted to talk to him about his feelings as she pulled Aithne, his baby daughter, into a pretty cotton light blue dress with white trimmings on it and placed small white ribbons in her hair; but right now he was too strung up from the battle and the challenge from Gowan to talk about anything.

But more importantly-he **hated** funerals.

He hated being back in Sarmatia even more so.

He spun to face his wife, placed a soft kiss on her cheek and another on his beloved daughter's brow, and said softly so as not to awaken the dozing little lady, "Gawain and I are going to talk to my mother, and see if we can get all the legal appointments into the royal family completed, okay?"

Enys stared into his grass green eyes with her own blues ones and nodded as she picked up their daughter and said sweetly, "I understand...good luck."

Galahad kissed her again, more passionately on the mouth, and exited the tent he had Gawain had set up two nights before. Right in front of him was Gawain, who was dressed just like he was-the only difference was the colored tunic top they were both wearing.

Galahad nodded to his lion-like older brother and said strongly, "Let's go."

With a purposely-fast march, they plowed through the tents set up by their tribesman and barreled through the largest tent in the very center of the caravan-Queen Malana's of the Coyote and Wolf Tribes.

Malana stood up in outrage and demanded hotly as her youngest sons stared her down flame-to-flame (anger), "What are you two doing here? I should have you both cut down for your pompous attitude and complete disregard for your people's ancient laws and courtly decorum!"

Both brothers's ignored their monstrous mother and Gawain demanded heatedly as he fiddled with a golden tassel hanging from his right shoulder, "Why are you so cold-hearted to us? I mean, we're your children! Your own flesh and blood! You carried us in your womb for nine months, by Mithras!!"

Malana cocked her head to the right, stared her offspring down with disdainful hazel eyes, and said with a sneer and an unconcerned shrug, "I never wanted to have children. But as a woman and a noble it was expected of me. If I wanted to keep my life style the way I liked it, I had to give Donkir and Buecan children."

Galahad's mouth dropped open, as he demanded in disbelief because he couldn't comprehend how he and Gawain, two very emotional and loving men, could come from such a arctic-hearted bitch, "So all we were to you was a way to claim more power and wealth?! Did you ever love us at all?!?!"

Malana stared at her youngest son straight in the eye and said as seriously and yet as stoically as possible, "No."

Gawain closed his eyes as his largest fear was confirmed. He had always suspected that his mother didn't care for him and his siblings as much as she should have, but he had always held on to the belief that Malana had loved them, **once**, somewhere deeply buried inside her heart.

Galahad couldn't even place the emotions running through his veins. All he knew was that he felt angry, betrayed, sadness, and a righteousness to make his mother pay for all her crimes. He wanted to see her burn in hell. For all her sins against them and their sisters, Agrimpasa most of all; it was more than what she truly deserved.

Galahad took a threatening step forward and demanded heatedly, "Why did you destroy Agrimpasa's life by paying Baldor to rape her?!?!"

Malana smirked smugly at her sons and said with an uncaring snort and shrug of her shoulders, "It was necessary for her training. For her to be the best wife for the Lion's future king, Agrimpasa needed to learn that love doesn't exist in this life-only lust and greed bring a person pleasure and security...not that it matters anymore...

She added in a lower more superior tone, "...stupid child went off and got herself killed anyways."

The brothers stared at one another in horror. Their mother was truly a monster. Their children would in **NO****WAY** be anywhere _**NEAR**_ Malana for the duration of their time in Sarmatia; even if they had to carry the babies into battle to keep them away from their mother's poisonous influence.

As one they spun on their heels and stomped through the tent's opening flaps, and crash-landed into their cousin, Garen, son of Lord Ulucan Sharpclaw, Viceroy of the Eagle Clan and Lady Maia Black-Wolf of the Wolfe Tribe, daughter to Viceroy Rabadron Blackclaw of the Wolf Tribe, and Malana's younger sister.

As Garen scrambled to his feet, he exclaimed as he helped them to theirs, "Oh sorry! Are the two of you okay?"

Gawain snorted, dusted his rear end off, and said sarcastically, "We're fine...it's only our butts that hurt."

Galahad didn't even bother to give him an answer. Instead he demanded, "What has caused our tribe to be so horrible?! I mean, first mother's attitude when she arrived, then Gowan's, and now _**THIS**_!!! What happened whilst we were away?!"

Garen sighed and said as he waved them in front of him, "Let's talk about this in some other place."

After a sort walk, cresting two hills, the three cousins sat down on a grassy knoll, and Garen began, "It all started about fifteen years ago...about five years into yours and the other's services to Rome; all of our tribes had been continuously attacked over the course of two years by the Huns and our numbers began to drop to the likes of how it was just after the Romans defeated our ancestors two hundred years ago. With all the deaths, the council decided to go to the waylands, or to the outer edges of the Sarmatian territories, for a generation to regroup our numbers, but Malana would hear none of it. She managed to persuade enough people to block the vote of the council and we stayed where we were."

He sighed, looked up into the sky, and continued, "Back then Rugon was still a relatively young king and relied **A****LOT** on your mother for advice during the most important issues of state, but as time wore on, Rugon depended on her less and less. As of today, he totally ignores her advice and focuses more on what his advisors council him on or what Agrippia advises him to do, therefore, making her antsy and concerned for her slight loss of power."

"Because of our heavy losses, the issues of pure blood has been preached quite heavily in **ALL** the tribes by men and women like Attila, Tor, and Artur. They spun it as the Gods punishing us all for allowing ourselves to become slaves to a hedonistic race and allowing our divine blood to be diluted by impure, dirty, common blood."

Garen shook his head and added, "Then, Rabadron and Reekon were killed in a battle that left Satina and Calipia pregnant with their heirs and our brothers' authority to vote in their honor in anyway Satina and Calipia saw fit."

Galahad snorted and said dryly, "I bet mother just **hated** that."

Garen nodded and said, "She did...in fact, she despised it. After all, our brothers chose Satina and Calipia as their wives because they were strong willed and could stand up to Malana without flinching nor backing down."

Gawain finished the thought, "Which means that mother could not control the council's votes to her advantage."

Garen nodded in agreement and added, "Well, as you could imagine, those who were _'encouraged'_ to vote the same as Malana did saw how she was slowly losing power and influence in the Coyote Tribe and began to slowly remove their support from her as well by not voting or casting their votes secretly for another by telling that person before with an unnamed parchment."

He cleared his throat and continued, "By removing their power from Malana and joining it to Lady Gaia's power base, and the wife of the Second Prince Tsar of the Coyote Tribe, they have successfully removed a third of your mother's overall influence, wealth, and power from her."

He sighed looked up into the clear blue sky and said warily, "Simply put, she losing power fast and doesn't like it."

The two brothers fell silent as they thought over what Garen had just told them. It made since to Gawain, as he knew his mother's love of power and wealth. But that still didn't explain the degradation of his mother's outlook in life. After all, Rugon and Gowan had survived just like they did, got married like they did, had children just like they did...he just couldn't figure out what caused them to be so angry and vengeful to Galahad and himself.

As if Garen had read his mind, he started to explain some more things in detail, "As for our beloved Wolf Tribe, things aren't much better. You see, when Rugon and Gowan were taken to serve Rome just like you two and Gareth, their experiences weren't as heartening as yours was. The only difference between you two and them was that Rugon was sent to Greece and Gowan to India."

Garen continued, "Rugon was made to fight as a Gladiator in the Coliseum. It was there that he received his life lessons from his evil and ambitious commander, Commander Marcus Ambros. It was from that man that Rugon's viciousness comes from."

"Gowan, on the other hand, was already half way into death's door emotionally when the Roman's came for him and took him to India. While his hatred for the Romans grew inside his heart, Gowan learned hate, malice, and manipulation from his commander, Commander Justinous Marvianous."

He shook his head and said to the brother's open-mouthed retorts, "Not all of us could be as lucky as you two to have gotten Arthur Castus as a commander."

Galahad's mouth snapped shut. He had always been thankful that he had served under Arthur during his time as a Roman slave, but he hadn't realized just **HOW** bad it had been for his brothers. _But then again...I didn't really think of them all that often whilst I was a slave...I was to caught up in my own shit and self-worth that I completely forgot about all my other brothers-with the exception of Gawain and Donnoz..._

He was shaken from his musings as Garen finished, "Malana is directly responsible for Areia and Athena's upbringing. Those two learned how to be petty, cold-hearted, and selfish from her. Add on to that, that they grew up without anyone punishing them and you have two very baby-like teenage, hormonal girls."

The lion-hared Knight watched as his cousin's shoulders drooped dangerously low as he concluded, "As it stands now, the Coyote Tribe is pulling all its support from Malana and giving it to Lady Gaia. Also, the Wolf Tribe is thinking of revolting against her all together because the council had lost faith in her and in her decedents."

Galahad finished, "And the next family in line for the crown is yours..."

Garen nodded sadly. It was true. Thanks to his mother, Maia, whose blood that runs through his veins, he could claim the royal crown of the Wolf Tribe, but he had no real drive to do it.

He didn't like the fact that his family's cohesiveness was falling apart, but no matter how hard he tried to keep the peace between all the clans; nothing seemed to work for very long.

Gawain, who had been listening calmly for he always loved a good intrigue, thought out loud, "So, the only way for Malana to regain her power and influence was by way of marriage."

Galahad shouted out excitedly, "So that's why she wanted Agrimpasa to marry Lancelot! If she marries into the Lion Clan of the Lion Tribe, she'd have the ultimate seat of power-total Queenship of all outreaching Sarmatian lands.

The three fell silent, each one was thinking about their horribly screwed up family, when Gawain tilted his head into an air current and announced, "It's time to go."

With a sigh, the other two followed the older man back to the bodies of those who didn't live through the battle, and saw their fellows-n-arms looking expectantly up at them with saddened loss as they gathered around the large funeral altar.

Lancelot glanced around at the gathered group and said gently yet powerfully, "Everyone gather around in two groups: one inner circle and one outer circle. Space yourselves so everyone can see the dead in the center."

As the large group did as Lancelot ordered, he grabbed Emogen's free hand as she was carrying Cadman, and said, "Should the children really see this?"

Tristran, from his other side, looked at his First Knight and said, "Lancelot, let them, they should honor those who died whilst protecting them."

Lancelot ran a hand through his curly hair but nodded. In a way he agreed with Tristran, but in a way he didn't. He didn't want his twin girls to witness a death rite. To him they were still to young to see such a thing, but on the other hand, Fionn and Mitchell did give their lives to protect them all, and they deserved their honor.

Emogen sweetly kissed his cheek and said, "Let's go, huh?"

Lancelot nodded and when he reached the center of the circle, he saw his father, mother, sisters, Zimkar, and Tarkan with a pregnant woman standing opposite him. Each one gave him a small smile of encouragement, and a nod full of faith and conviction-his family was behind him one hundred percent. He glanced to his family and saw them nodding at him. He glanced behind him and felt a swell of pride rise up in his heart-his Knights were dressed in their best uniforms and each carried an instrument.

As the music began, Lancelot stepped forward and began the rites,

"_**We have for a while lost one who is dear to us, **_

_**And we all feel the loss. **_

_**But it is only for a time, **_

_**And we will lose our sorrow."**_

"_**There is a reason for being here, **_

_**And a reason for going. **_

_**The Other Side, **_

_**The Places Beyond, **_

_**Are warm, pleasing and beautiful with all ills gone,**_

_**And youth anew."**_

_**There is a reason for leaving, **_

_**When the purpose of this life is done. **_

_**We must all journey beyond to pause, **_

_**To rest, and to wait for those who are loved, **_

_**In a place far from the cares of this world, **_

_**With happiness and strength renewed. **_

_**For dying is only a mode of forgetting, **_

_**A way of rest, **_

_**A way of returning to the Eternal Source, **_

_**However we may see it."**_

Tristran stepped up a bit and intoned, "It is said in ancient lore..."

Emogen raised her voice and joined in the farewell as she nuzzled Cadman's downy soft hair,

_**"Arrayed in some new fleshly disguise,  
Another mother gives birth.  
With sturdier limbs and brighter brain,  
The old soul takes the road again."**_

Then Enys, Ula, and Alma sang out loud in a beautiful heart lifting tone,

"_**You came and touched so many hearts,  
In so many different ways.  
You gave so much, **_

_**And asked very little in return.  
There is an emptiness, **_

_**As if a part of me is missing,  
But I am sure with time you will show me how to be whole again.  
I know you are safe now, **_

_**And nothing can harm you.  
Remember, although we're apart,  
We will always be together."**_

Galahad and Gawain joined in next, and in stereo, said to their fallen brethren,

"_**Life and death are one,**_

_**As the river and the sea are one. **_

_**For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind, **_

_**And to melt in the sun?**_

_**What is it to cease breathing,**_

_**But to free the breath from it's restless tides **_

_**That it may rise, and expand, **_

_**And seek it's Gods unencumbered?**_

_**Only when you drink from the river of silence  
Shall you indeed sing.  
And when you have reached the mountaintop,  
Then shall you begin to climb.  
And when the Earth has claimed your limbs, then shall you truly dance."**_

Habren was inspired by her brother and his warriors-n-arms farewell rites, and stepped forward, away from her families support, and called out to her fallen husband and her killed kinsmen,

"_**Melean and Lion's kin, Fate was most unkind,  
Given to thee, but I to forward in mind.  
Yet from thee so much love was spread,  
Everywhere you were seen to tread.  
We'd like to think where'er you all roam,  
In the new world you'll call your home.  
There'll be no more pain, no more ills,  
No more of this life's bitter pills.  
Forgive us if today we're heartrending,  
For I did love you, Habren O'so haunting."**_

Lancelot smiled proudly at her. When she looked down, he took a deep breath and said as he and the other three _'Knights of Sarmatia'_ along with Brina, Affrica, Droven, and Durnhelm place torches on the hay covered bodies, and watched as the flames licked and burned the bodies underneath the funeral cloth, for in this line he, as the _'High Priest'_, was acting in the dead person's place to give comfort to those who had lost loved ones,

**"_Do not stand at my grave and weep,  
I am not there, I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow,  
I am the diamond glints on snow.  
I am the sun on ripened grain,  
I am the gentle Autumn's rain."  
_**

**"_When you wake in the morning's hush,  
I am the swift uplifting rush.  
Of quiet birds in circled flight,  
I am the stars that shine at night.  
Do not stand at my grave and cry,__I am not there, I did not die."_**

After that, the group fell silent. Then Lady Knight Chloe walked up to Lancelot, bowed, and asked with tears in her eyes, "Can you and the Lords and Ladies of Briton sing _'The Prayer'_? It was Fionn and Mitchell's favorite love song..."

Emogen stepped forward and answered for him with a loving, sympathetic smile, "Of course we can!"

"Yes, I'd love to!" –Enys

"It would be an honor." –Alma

"I would do anything for my beloved students." –Galahad.

"For a love as strong as theirs was, I could do no less." –Ula

"You didn't have to ask, dove!" –Gawain

"It would be an honor." –Tristran

Lancelot smiled and said with opened and welcoming arms, "Of course we will."

Chloe's watery eyes beamed happily up at her leaders and said bowed and then lowered herself to her knees so she could listen to their joined voices in bliss.

Ama leaned in towards her husband and whispered, "I didn't know Lancelot could sing?"

Tarkan, who had overheard, turned to his parents and said blissfully as he helped his lover to sit down, "He has an awesome voice, mother, father...you'd be surprised at how golden his once high squeaky voice sounds like now."

When everyone was peacefully sitting and his Knights were playing a gentle, farewell tune, he started as he picked up and held his Sun Princess and Enchanted Moon, "_I'll pray you'll be our eyes,_

_And watch us where we go,_

_And help us to be wise,_

_In times when we don't know..."_

The others joined in harmoniously,

"_Let this be our prayer,_

_As we go our way,_

_Lead us to a place,_

_Guide us with your grace,_

_To a place where we'll be safe."_

Emogen cuddle her son and sang lovingly,

"_I'll pray we'll find your light,_

_And hold it in our hearts,_

_When stars go out each night,_

_Behind us where you are..."_

Ula jumped in with a sweet tone,

"_Let this be our prayer,_

_When shadows fill our day,_

_Lead us to a place,_

_Guide us with your grace,_

_Give us faith so we'll be safe..."_

Galahad sang, "_We ask that life be kind,_

_And watch us from above,_

_We hope each soul will find,_

_Another soul to love..."_

Then all eight of them sang the last verse together as harmoniously as they possibly could and together they sounded as if a siren had come to lure a sailor to his death,

"_Let this be our pray,_

_Just like and child,_

_Needs to find a place,_

_Guide us with your grace,_

_Give us faith so will...be...safe...!"_

As the last pure musical sounds drifted off into the hills with the help of the winds, a low rumbling could be heard and felt through the grasslands.

Tristran rushed up to the top of the hill because Siolae was once again circling. When he got to the top he paled.

Lancelot yelled, "Who is it?!"

Tristran's white face met his own as he answered, "My mother..."

Funeral rites belong to a website and it's address is on my author's page!!!

Song belongs to: _Celtic Women: A new Journey_


	6. Chapter 6

The Return to Sarmatia 6

Sorry this has taken so long to update, but I've had school and a bit of trouble when it came to this chapter. Hope you like it! –Samantha

Almost immediately, The Lords of Briton rallied their Knights together as Ula gathered her children to her bosom in case Tristran's father and mother, Aorgi and Tyze, reacted to them as Gawain and Galahad's had responded to them.

Ama and Babai stepped forward past them and Babai ordered, "You all stand down. Let us handle the Panther Tribe."

Tristran protested, "I'll have to confront them sooner or later."

Ama turned to him and explained, "Yes, that is true, but they are here to witness my son's marriage to Agrimpasa. Since there is no wedding, let us explain you presence here."

As she turned to ho to her husband's side, she added, "Besides, they might surprise you."

Lancelot came to Tristran's side and said as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Let them try Tris. We definitely don't need anymore of our families against us."

Even though every instinct in his body told him otherwise, Tristran Sentinel Palðer of the House of Palðer, Marquis of Albion County, Head of the Briton Isles Intelligence, and Knight of the Dragon Order, Knight of the Round Table nodded and turned to his wife, Ula, and their children, Dunham and Amage.

Ula, with Amage in her arms, willingly went into Tristran's arms and waited anxiously for Lancelot's parents to return.

As Ama and Babai came to head with Aorgi and Tyze, Ama said cordially, "Good-Day to you King Aorgi and Queen Tyze of the Panther Tribe. Welcome to the Lion Tribe. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but the marriage agreement between the Lion Tribe and the Wolf Tribe is void."

Queen Tyze smiled gently down at her friend and said sweetly as she looked to her youngest children, Diane-twenty-five and Galatan-Fifteen, "We are happy to be here despite the termination of the union. Amage, my friend, whoa re all these people in armor I see? They are not Roman."

Aorgi, while still very silent in nature, cast his gaze about and rested them on the flags gently flying in the breeze. Although he didn't recognize any of the banners, the symbols were decipherable-Lion, Wolf, and Panther.

His gaze sharpened as his eyes discerned the bronze panther in the dark purplish-black pendant. That was the panther symbol of his tribe. Only those of his loins could carry the panther.

Babai followed his gaze and said, "While the marriage is not to continue, I am happy to announce the return of your son, Tristran Sharpeye of the Panther Tribe. He has brought along with him his wife, Ula Healing Palðer of the House of Palðer and their children, Dunham and Amage."

Tyze smiled and said softly in a voice full of sorrow, "He won't be happy to see us again. The last time he saw us, I was threatening abuse upon him, and at that time period in our lives, Aorgi and I were not responsive to our children's needs. We were more focused on ourselves."

Babai nodded and said diplomatically, "Be that as it may, he is here and nervous about meeting you again. He also wonders what you'll do to this children."

Tyze exclaimed happily, "We'll accept them of course! Them and his wife, if she can prove herself, of course!"

She then turned to her friend and added, "Is that why Lancelot shall not be marrying Agrimpasa?"

Ama sighed and said, "Agrimpasa was killed by Lord Miskoc because she was instrumental in the killing of an innocent Briton girl who served under your son and mine. She was to have a fair trial, but she did not want one and was killed in consequence."

Tyze nodded and said, "That's to bad, I'll have to give my condolences to Malana later on."

Ama smiled back and said proudly, "Yes, yes, of course, but the main reason why there is no marriage is because my son has already married a wonderful Briton woman and she has given him beautiful twin daughters and a handsome young son."

Aorgi smiled lightly back and said, "That **IS** wonderful my friend. You must be so proud to have three grandchildren."

Babai nodded and said, "Shall we go to the others then...?"

Tristran's throat closed up in anxiety as he watched the King and Queen of the Lion Tribe confronted his parents and their escorts. He couldn't help but remember how uncaring his mother and father were. As they drew closer, Tristran couldn't stop his most painful childhood memory from returning to his conscious memory...

_"Tsar! Where are you?!" cried out the seventeen-year-old Tristran, second son of the King of the Panther Tribe. _

_As he grew closer to the secret lagoon that lay hidden near their Tribes' lands, he heard loud clanging sounds he had come to associate with war. Tristran's face grew concerned. If Tsar weren't careful, he'd end up dead before his tenure in Briton began._

_Then the ugly clanging sounds ceased._

_When he stepped around a large outcropping of rocks that marked the boundary of the lagoon, he froze in horror and anger._

_Tsar, his beloved older brother, and Calbur, his reluctantly accepted fiancée-to-be (on his part), were locked in a terrible embrace. His brother had his arms wrapped securely around Calbur's petite body in a feverish kiss that held only lust, and her legs were draped steadily around his waist. _

_His eyes grew wider as Calbur tore her mouth away from his and moaned throatily, as Tsar all but destroyed her dress in his effort to yank it off her scrumptious body (even if he didn't not want her, he couldn't help but admit that her body was that of Aphrodite's) witlessly as he yanked his pants off and thrust violently into her maiden head._

_Tristran felt a tear fall from his eagle gray eyes even as his anger grew. He held no love for Calbur-not even a friendly tingle of affection, but it hurt that she'd do this to him anyways._

_Now as for Tsar, he felt only rage and betrayal. His brother, who was groaning in frenzied lust and desire, had told him he had hated Calbur with an unmovable will. As Tsar had outright denied her when her father had come to theirs for a wedding proposal, __**HE**__ had gotten stuck with Calbur as a fiancée instead. _

_Calbur's shrieks of mixed pain and pleasure tore him from his thoughts. When he looked back at the coupling pair, Tsar's head was buried in her pert bouncing breasts, and Calbur's head was thrashing from side to side as the pink flush of pleasure bloomed across her bosom and the maiden blood trickled down Tsar's legs and coated the white sand below them._

_With a final yell of triumph, they climaxed together as one. Tsar, gently, lowered his new lover to the sandy beach and settled in between her legs-mindful to the fact that she could be in pain from their first, and painful, union. _

_Tristran's already broken heart splintered even further as Tsar asked her as they kissed lovingly, "How will we tell our parents...Tristran??"_

_He watched as Calbur looked coyly up at him, raised her legs up to wrap around his waist again, and answered as she ran her hands over his tensing butt and placed open mouthed, wet kisses on his throat, "We'll tell them later on...after all...I __**WAS**__ supposed to be __**YOURS**__ anyways, my love."_

_Tristran heard Tsar groan and with a start he watched them make love once again. _

_Only this time, as their pleasure mounted, Calbur rolled them so she was on top and moaned as Tsar leaned up, announcing his very pronounced abdomen muscles clenching and releasing, and began to pleasure her heaving chest._

_More quickly than he thought their joined pleasure could end, it was over with yet another yell of pleasure._

_As Tsar, who had laid back down on his back with once hand behind his head, lazily began to draw designs on her firmly, smoothly, tanned belly, he said huskily, "I love you Calbur, more than anything else in this whole world."_

_Tristran, who watched as Calbur, who had been enjoying the feel of his brother's manliness within her, could only watch in horror as she reached over Tsar's head-teasingly him delightfully with her bouncing breasts once more-grabbed his neglected dagger still in ensconced in his belt sheath, and plunge it sadistically into Tsar's still erratically beating heart._

_Tristran felt life return to his limbs as Tsar cried out in agony._

_He felt bile rise in his throat as Calbur licked the rapidly pooling blood from his fatal wound and yelled victoriously and erotically as her hips thrust up and down twice more in ecstasy._

_When her third and final orgasm passed, she nonchantly stood up from her dead lover, his brother, turned towards his hiding place and said, sweetly even as the blood dribbled down her chin, "Tristran, my love, come and join me! Your brother meant nothing to me! This was just my revenge against him for turning me away! Together, you and I, on the other hand, will bring the Panther Tribe greatness!!"_

_Tristran shook his head in horror. While he had never felt anything but annoyance for Calbur, he had respected her for her strength in battle. Now, he felt absolutely nothing-except emptiness._

_He spun around and ran head long into his father. _

_"What is wrong boy?" asked Aorgi unemotionally._

_Tristran stared at his father. For once he wished his emotionally scared father could show something else besides negligence towards them all. Briton had fatally wounded his father-emotionally in any case._

_Tristran burst into tears as he told him everything he had just witnessed._

_When he was finished, Tristran raised his head and was shocked to see his family around them. His sisters, Ilona, Demeter, and Diane had tears of pain and sadness rolling down their faces. _

_Tristran quickly left his father's still lax and cold arms and gathered his baby sisters to him._

_As he attempted to comfort them all, Aorgi sighed and said, "I guess you will be our new heir, son."_

_Tristran looked at his father in shock. Why wasn't his father crying over his firstborn's murder? _

_Aorgi's face was blank as ever and not even red splotches on pain upon his cheeks disrupted his bland countenance._

_Tyze, his mother, on the other hand, was yelling angrily, "OF ALL THE STUPID...IDIOTIC...ARROGENT THINGS TO DO! NOW I'LL HAVE TO TRAIN YET ANOTHER BASTARD CHILD OF MINE ON HOW TO ACT!! HOW COULD TSAR LET THIS HAPPEN TO HIM?? I ESPECIALLY TAUGHT HIM HOW __**NOT**__ TO GET CAUGHT!!! NOW I'LL HAVE TO BED TRISTRAN TO TEACH HIM HOW TO BE A PROPER PANTHER KING!!!!"_

_Tristran felt his battered heart shrivel up and die at his mother's words. His mother...she didn't care for him OR Tsar at all. He felt revulsion seep into his skin as Tyze's eyes settled on him and Calbur, once again dressed like a woman of her status should, appear over the hill that lead to the lagoon._

_Even as he pleaded with Mithras to kill him then and there, the sounds of dozens of horses and a vibrant red flag was seen to the north of their village. _

_What was left of Tristran's shriveled up, dead heart, jumped into his throat-the Romans had finally arrived._

Tristran's personal nightmare was cut off as Durham accidentally stepped on his foot.

Tristran returned to the present when Ama said regally, "King Aorgi, Queen Tyze of the Panther Tribe, I'd like to reintroduce you to your son, First Crown Prince Tristran Sharpeye of the Panther Tribe, his wife, Lady Ula Healing Palðer of the House of Palðer, and their children, Lord Dunham Palðer and Lady Amage Palðer of the House of Palðer."

Tristran took in a deep calming breath, stepped forward, pushed his son behind him protectively, and said strongly as he met both their eyes, "Hello mother, father, its been a long time."

While this was going on, Malana, who had no interest whatsoever in the new tribe's appearance turned to her daughter's, Athena-sixteen and Areia-thirteen, and ordered pompously, "Either one or you **MUST** entice and seduce Lancelot to you. I **WILL** be Queen of the Lions and Sarmatia, so I make myself clear?!"

Athena asked slowly, "But...his wife...his family..."

Malana snorted and said with a wave of her hand, "Do you **really** think that **I** care what becomes of that bitch and her bastard pups?"

She stepped closer to them, slapped Athena across the face and ordered darkly, "Do you honestly think that Lancelot will be able to deny you both?? That he'll be able to bank his lusts? His wife is old and her body grows softer with age. Both of you are young, fertile, and your bodies and strong and firm..."

Areia piped in with a harsh grin, "After all, he's only a man, and men are slaves to their desires and lusts, right mom?"

Malana smiled proudly at her youngest.

At least **ONE** of her daughters was worthy of the forced-affection.

"Right."


	7. Chapter 7

The Return to Sarmatia 7

Sorry for the long delay, but it has been hard to get this next chapter down. Not only did I have a hard time thinking about how this one will go, but I had a horrendous time of it trying to get it into some semblance of order!!

Remember, Babai's brother served with Uther that's how he learned to read and write Latin. He then taught Babai who in turn taught Lancelot. Ama's brother ALSO served with Uther!!! Lancelot has two uncles who served with Uther Castus. Look to The Sun and Moon of House Lyon for references to Lance's other uncle.

Queen Tyze of the Panther Tribe gazed upon her twenty plus year absent heir and son. She was amazed at what she saw in his eyes and in his stance.

He was as tall and lithe as always, but in his eyes she saw a silent strength that Aorgi never had. In his eagle slate gray eyes, she spied the fierceness that he had once possessed as the First Prince of the Panthers but now it was ten times stronger! She couldn't help but be drawn in by his strength of character and his boldness as a warrior.

As her eyes fell down his body once more in awe, she could see his eyes gentle as he gazed lovingly down upon his small family of four and his brother's-n-arms.

He had a strong presence that announced to all his importance and his leadership qualities that had not been there as a child. In fact, Tristran had always been in Tsar's, her first-born son's, shadow ever since he was born. Although, underneath that control was an undertone of passiveness that allowed him to be a loyal follower that gave her pause because he was a Prince and princes follow no one's command but their own.

But as she met her son's eyes one more time, she had to smile internally. While he was all of this and more, the most important thing to her was that he was alive, he looked happy, and he looked healthy.

King Aorgi of the Panther Tribe, once a Knight of Sarmatia more than twenty years ago, nodded in pride.

His son was a superb example of what a warrior and prince of the Panther Tribe should look like. His second born son, but his only _'of-age'_ heir looked as broken as he had after his fifteen-year tenure under Christoph Regalus, but at the same time he looked well put together. It was almost like Tristran had found his peace with his demons. It was almost like Tristran forgave Rome and the Romans for sentencing him to hell on Earth.

**But that was impossible! **

Britannia was a death sentence to more than three-fourths of the Sons of Sarmatia, for it was the resting place of their dead fathers, brothers, and sons.

And yet, and yet Tristran's eagle slate gray eyes held a serenity that he, a retired warrior of almost twenty-five years, had yet to find.

With a gentle shake of his head, that went unnoticed by everyone before him, Aorgi cast those unnerving thoughts aside and looked at his son once more.

He was aloof and stoic.

He was cold and bland and yet like with his earlier thoughts...

Tristran was gentle and sophisticated.

He was loving and kind-hearted.

Most importantly, to him at least, he was a warrior whose name would go down in the tomes of history like the heroes of old.

All this, King Aorgi and Queen Tyze realized in just a few seconds because that was all they needed to realize that their son was not the young man he once was so long ago.

Tyze and Aorgi nodded to their son as Tyze said sweetly and slightly apologetically, "Hello my son, your family looks beautiful. Ilona's letter home to us left us all excited to meet them."

Calbur, who had been waiting impatiently for Tyze and Aorgi's arrival, felt her jaw drop. Her future in-laws were encouraging Tristran's marriage with the Briton?! How could they do this?! Especially after she had patiently waited for more than twenty yeas for her wayward husband-to-be to return to her!

Coincidentally, she forgot about how she had murdered their oldest son, and caused Tristran to leave for Briton in the first place.

As Tristran pulled Ula forward to meet his parents, she jumped in front of Tristran threw her arms out and cried out enraged, "Tyze!!! How could you encourage this blasphemy! He has married one of those blue-demons! He has spawned two half-blood mongrels that will destroy our tribe! I have waited for him to return, and this is how you reward my patience!!! Because of you and him, I have remained in my position as princess-to-be, who retains **NO** power and only a little influence!"

Demeter, Tristran's little sister who was now twenty-seven years old and still unwed, rolled her ice blue eyes that were just like her mother's, and exclaimed, "Calbur! It's because of you that he was taken to Briton in the first place!"

Diane, Tristran's baby sister of twenty-five, added with a slight frown on her normally cool face, "He has a new family now! You've lost your chance."

Ilona, who was standing passively behind Tristran's family smirked and signed a few things that made her siblings chuckle _:Not only that but you __**DID**__ kill our eldest brother...you've been living a dream bitch!:_

She tilted her head at her sisters and then at Calbur. They smirked back in agreement. As one, they jumped on the wildly thrashing Calbur and dragged her away from Tristran's family.

But they didn't get far.

Ama stepped forward and said as Lancelot and Tarkan replaced the three women as keepers, "Let us hold her. She won't cause you any problems until your family is ready for her."

Ilona nodded to her trainer, who nodded back with a small smile, and lightly pulled her sisters back to their family secure in the thought that Lancelot would kill Calbur himself if the crazy Panther Tribeswoman tried anything to harm Tristran or his family.

Tristran was shocked.

This is not how imagined how his reunion with his family to be. Almost every night since they left Britannia's shore's he dreamed of this, and in those nightmares his bloodthirsty pureblooded deranged family murdered his tiny family of four. Instead, he found himself floundering as he struggled to come to terms with Tyze and Aorgi's temperate acceptance of his choice of wife.

As he lightly glared at his mother, he saw something in her eyes that made him pause. There was none of the immaturity from before and none of the rage. In fact, his mother's eyes held a tender tranquility in them that could only come from admitting her wrongs and working diligently to change those wrongs. Her ice blue eyes were soft as they gazed down upon him and his siblings. They were especially devoted when they landed on his youngest sibling, their third son, Galatan, who was just fifteen.

Tristran bit his lip; he must have been born while he was entering his fifth year of servitude in Briton.

Tristran turned to his father and frowned. His father still had that haunted look about him. Tristran shuddered as he remembered how cold and unemotional his father had been because of his internal wounds, and he could see that time had only weakened the wounds not terminated them. His father had yet to forgive himself for his preconceived notions guilt, rage, and hate. While he felt sympathy for his father, he couldn't help but pity him too. While his father served under a fair commander who followed his own set of rules; Christoph Regalus was a sadistic man who loved to watch as innocent Britons, Irish, and Romans died under his orders. As a trained assassin for Rome, Aorgi was the man Regalus sent to fulfill his vicious urges for blood, gore, and death.

Whereas; he was lucky. He had trained under the watchful, nurturing eyes of Arthur Pendragon-then Artorius Castus.

He couldn't help but smile as his sisters put Calbur in place, and said nicely for his siblings' sake, "Mother, Father, my siblings new and old, this wonderful woman is my wife, Lady Ula Healing Palðer of the House of Palðer, Lady of Medicine, Marquess Ula Healing Palðer of Albion."

Ula smiled tightly up at her in-laws and said in fluent Sarmatian, _**"I am pleased to meet you all at least. Tristran has told me so many things about you."**_

Tristran nodded at her as he agreed with her on responding as she did and continued despite his families shock that his wife knew their sacred language, "And this is my first born son and heir, Lord Dunham Palðer of the House of Palðer and our little one, Lady Amage Palðer of the House of Palðer."

Dunham, with his eyes wide, stepped forward and said smoothly, _**"I am happy to meet you King Aorgi, Queen Tyze. I hope we will be friends whilst we stay in Sarmatia."**_

Tyze closed her eyes in pain. It was apparent to her that her son, while he never told his family about the terrors he experienced as a child, still held anger for her and her husband. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn't blame him. She had been a horrible mother to him, Tsar, and Ilona when they were children. She had abused Tsar sexually; she had ignored Tristran emotionally, and had all but disowned Ilona for her muteness.

What was worse, all she had was an excuse...

She had been to young to be a mother of three by the age of nineteen, and a mother of two rambunctious boys by thirteen. In fact, she had still been an egotistic child herself when her father married her off, and she had been repulsed by boy's touches still when Aorgi, fifteen then, got her pregnant with Tsar.

Not a real good excuse she had to admit, but it was all she had.

Aorgi nodded at the greetings. His grandchild, while not being raised in Sarmatia, already had a good grasp of their language and if Ilona's letter had any credibility, he also knew their culture too.

Tyze smiled down at Dunham and said warmly, "I am pleased to meet you as well my grandson. We shall talk more, I promise."

Dunham nodded and she was pleased to see that her grandson was a bright boy-an improvement over her first grandchild who had no intelligence at all that she could see. But despite that, she still loved Ilona's child. She would **NOT** make the same mistakes with her grandchildren that she did with her first three children.

She turned to Ula and said with a smile, "While I am proud of my son for finding himself a wife he cares for, you will still have to battle Calbur for her place as his fiancée and wife."

Tyze was impressed by Ula's impassioned response, "I will fight for my family, My Queen, make no mistake about that."

Aorgi couldn't help himself; he had to say what he thought of her, which matched Tyze's and the watchful Ama's thoughts too, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you to be a Sarmatian!"

Ula smiled as she asked and gentle shifted the napping Amage in her arms, "And who are these wonderful people before us?"

Tyze smiled and said, "Forgive me! Tristran, Ula, Dunham, and Amage these are our children and your other family. As you know the oldest is Ilona, the young woman with straight black hair and ice-blue eyes is Demeter Blackclaw Panther of the Panther Tribe; the young woman with gray eyes and shorter black hair is Diane Sleek-Shine Panther of the Panther Tribe, and the youngest is Galatan Sharpclaw of the Panther Tribe."

As his sisters oohed and awed over their nephew and niece, Galatan looked up at his elder brother and asked with great respect in his voice, "Will you train me? Ilona wrote that you and the others helped her improve a lot!"

Tristran wasn't quite sue how to deal with his brother, but he also knew that he couldn't hold anything against the young teen as he wasn't even born when he left his family twenty years ago.

As he gazed into the blue eyes, he nodded and said, "Tomorrow morning, you are welcome to join in as Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and myself train the knights."

While this was occurring, Lancelot and Tarkan, who were standing watch over the newly bound and gagged Calbur, winced in guilt as she yelled and screamed in rage. He had **NEVER** felt comfortable with the thought of harming a woman-his guilt regarding Agrimpasa was proof enough of that, but he also knew that Calbur was a danger to Tristran and his family. So, he buried his protests, and loyally stood guard over her as Tristran attempted to make peace with his family.

Also, as this was happening, Ama felt herself being torn in five different directions at once.

First, she wanted to watch over and protect her wounded children and clansmen.

Second, she wanted to talk and get to know her eldest son once more like a true mother should.

Third, she wanted to get to know her daughter-n-law and grandchild.

Fourth, she wanted to comfort Tyze, as it was clear to her that the mother of five was struggling.

Lastly, she wanted to desperately talk to Lancelot and Ula about Ula's parentage.

She couldn't help it.

Ula looked so much like her dearly departed mother, Queen Prioska of the Snake and Cheetah Tribe. Her mother had been the first and only princess of the Snake Tribe, and as such when she received her womanhood, she was married to the new king of the Cheetah Tribe, King Gedeon. Unlike Prioska's mother before her, Prioska was blessed with more than two children. In fact, Prioska's contribution to the furthering of the Cheetah Tribe included six children: First Crown Prince Hakan, First Crown Princess Jihan, Second Crown Princess Aliz, and Prince Vilmos and herself Princess Ama (they were twins).

Like Babai, Vilmos had been drafted to fight in Briton under the command of Uther Castus at Vindolanda.

**But it was impossible! It just had to be!!**

For more than twenty years, she had forced herself to believe that her elder twin brother had been lost to the mists of Briton. But, her family never received notice from Uther Castus of his loss...

More importantly was when Babai had returned to Sarmatia and had chosen her as his wife and Queen, Babai had told her that when they received their discharge papers he had simply vanished into the forests north of the wall and had never returned.

_So...perhaps it could be true then...Ula could actually be Vilmos' daughter, my niece, and Lancelot's cousin! The only problem now, is how to tell them of my suspicions._

_Well, perhaps straight out would be best??? I've never curbed the truth before so why should I now????_

She nodded purposely to herself and marched up to her son.

As he lifted his head to greet her with a small smile, she said flat out, "Lancelot, I do believe you're brother's wife, Ula, is of my blood. Only those of my line possess the brown eyes of Aries."


	8. Chapter 8

The Return to Sarmatia 8

The Return to Sarmatia 8

Sorry that this was such a long time in coming. Unfortunately, I have suffered a very LARGE bout of no desire to write anything after a spit out 3 chapters of my other King Arthur fic. Sorry AGAIN!!

Lancelot couldn't help but snort at his mother's words. It was just like her to blurt things out like that. He had some memorable remembrances of his mother embarrassing his father from his childhood because of it too.

He looked at her and said, "Well, what am I to do about it?"

Ama smacked him lightly on the back of his head and said shortly, "None of that backtalk mister! You will come with me to speak with her of course!"

Lancelot pursed his lips as he thought of Ilona trusting him to keep Calbur away from her and her family. He cast his gaze across the tribe's lands and saw his men getting ready to sup and then to bed.

He smiled lightly as he saw the two of his and the other Knights most trustful Knights, "Sir Bruce, Sir Brice, front and center!"

Ama watched with a prideful gleam in her eyes, as the twins her son and his friends trusted very much came running at his call.

The two men snapped to attention and placed their right hands on top of their hearts.

Ama was impressed.

It was the sign of loyalty and a sign of the utmost trust between two warriors.

"Sir Bruce and Sir Brice I need you to guard Lady Calbur until Princess Ilona comes for her or Lord Tristran does. Understand?"

The twins nodded, bowed, and said, "Sir!"

Lancelot turned to his mother and said as he waved his hand in front of him, "Let's go speak with Ula then."

Tarkan silently left as well. He had a pregnant woman to see.

Mother and son swiftly crossed the lands of the Lion Tribe and found Ula and the other women getting the little ones into their nightclothes and getting their bedding laid out and ready for them after supping.

Emogen smiled at her husband and the twins squealed in delight as they jumped into his arms gleefully, "Daddy!!"

Lancelot laughed merrily as he caught both his girls easily which told of many, many happy times before.

"Ahug, you two are getting to be too big to do this to daddy at the same time!" chuckled Lancelot as the twins pouted cutely and hugged him.

Enid raised her curly head and pouted, "But Daddy!! We love jumping on you!"

Erlina smiled and said with a smile, "Daddy's gettin' old!"

Lancelot smiled at his daughter, tossed them both lightly into the air, and said as he laid them down on either side of him, "Oh, I'm old am I"

And with that he started to tickle them.

The Britons smiled as twin shrieks of happiness rose up above the normal drabble of soldiers doing their normal chores.

Even the Sarmatians, who still mourned their lost, loved ones, smiled lightly at the jovial family of five.

Ama was lost in her love for her only grandchildren.

Lancelot's twins gave her a new outlook in life for her people. Ama knew that her son and his family would not remain in Sarmatia for very long, but just seeing them and knowing that they would survive her gave her hope for her people.

After letting his daughter's catch their breath, Lancelot helped them stand and said as he gently popped their bottoms, "Okay you two, back to your meal."

They hugged him again and skipped to their mother and baby brother, who was currently nursing.

Lancelot rose to his feet and said, "Ula, my mother and I must speak to you about something very important."

Ula looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow. The only time she had ever seen Lancelot so serious, was when he was readying himself for battle; and since there wasn't any reason to go to battle she was slightly concerned.

_Why is he acting like this? He acts like he's going into battle. I know I'm a touch character to talk to sometimes, but I'm not THAT bad!_

Ula turned to her friends, Emogen and Alma, and asked, "Do you two mind putting Dunham and Amage to bed for me?"

Emogen gently disengaged Cadman from her breast and said as she started to feed him a soft gruel, "We can do that. No worries."

Alma nodded and added for Lancelot's sake since she had seen his look of confusion at only seeing the three of them, "Enys and the kids are with Gawain, Galahad, and Garen. They are meeting Garen's wife and children."

Lancelot nodded in understanding as the three people walked into Ama and Babai's chiefton hut.

As they sat down, Ula looked to Lancelot for answers.

But it was Ama who answered Ula's unasked questions-in her normal manner.

"Lady Ula, I have reason to believe that you are my twin brother's daughter; making you my niece and Lancelot's cousin."

Ula, whatever she had thought the problem was, had not expected this. She blinked a couple of times. She was completely shocked by Ama's words.

In a daze, she pointed out, "That's impossible; my father is a simple Woad farmer. He's not a Sarmatian in anyway shape or form."

Ama, not wanting to hold it off any longer, pulled up her tunic top above her belly-button and lowered her skirt a tiny bit to reveal a birthmark in the shape of a lightly curved sword.

Ula gapped at it.

To her shock, it was a very familiar birthmark.

Absentmindedly, she placed her finger on the mark over Ama's hipbone and traced the handle of the sword that was pointed towards the hip and the tip of the sword pointed towards the crotch.

A discreet cough brought her back.

Ula blushed in mortification.

As she stumbled over an apology, Ama waved it aside and asked knowingly, "Did you see something familiar?"

Ula exclaimed, "My father, my children, and I have the exact same birthmarks!"

Ama turned to her son and said with a smug smile as she saw his wide eyes, "Lancelot!"

Ula watched wide-eyed as Lancelot lifted his jerkin up to reveal his toned lower body and hip bone. But what caught her attention the most was the identical birthmark to her own emblazed across his skin.

Ama broke the silence as she explained the reason for the elaborate birthmarks, "You must understand, our people are believed to be descended from the God of War and a nymph named Harmonia. While Babai and the Lion Tribe are the only remaining survivors from the union between the two. My family line, the Cheetah Tribe, has the blessings of Ares, himself. My ancestors were the Priests and Priestesses of Aries, and as such, we bore his mark with pride in the ancient days. Unfortunately, with the Roman's expansion, the old beliefs waned. To keep a tie to our old traditions, Aries turned the mark from a religious mark, into a birthmark as a reminder of the past."

Ula and Lancelot, who had known some of the history of his families' mark, listened in rapture as she explained her theory to them both, "My brother, Vilmos, was under the command of Uther Castus. After his fifteen years were over, Babai said he simply left the wall and went into the forests and never came back. My family thought that I was insane when I told them that he still lived. It is my belief that your mother and my brother met and fell in love and had you, Ula. Could you perhaps tell us how they met?"

Ula closed her eyes and replied softly, "My mother was a healer and had no battle training whatsoever. She only a few Woad tattoos, so my father never knew until their marriage night. My father was enraged when he found out, but their love was strong enough to over come both their pasts and they are happy to this day."

Ama held Ula's hands beseechingly and asked in a hoarse tone, "What's his name?"

Ula smiled lovingly at her new Aunt and replied, "Conner-Liam, but everyone calls him Liam."

Ama smiled and closed her eyes in relief. Her brother, her beloved twin brother, was alive. She had been right!

Lancelot couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the man he and Arthur had conversed with on regular intervals, about the countries food stocks, was his uncle! And the old man never said a word! Not one!

Before the silence could grow even more, Emogen arrived with Cadman and Amage in her arms. The twins and Dunham were dancing happily around her.

With a smile she said, "Okay you three, meeting's over. It's time to sup with the rest of us."

Happily, Ula took Amage from her friend and asked curiously, "Where is Tristran?"

Emmy smiled in apology and said, "He is taking care of Calbur with his parents and siblings."

Tristran, Ilona, and their family marched up to Sir Bruce and Sir Brice, who were still on guard duty, and Tristran said, "You are relieved of duty. Go and sup, you both deserve it."

The twins placed their hands upon their hearts once more and left.

Tristran looked at the woman his parents, had at one time, wanted as their daughter-n-law, and said commandingly, "Arise Lady Calbur of the Panther Tribe and be judged."

Calbur raised herself to her feet, looked them all straight in the eye, and awaited their decisions.

Queen Tyze stepped forward and said seriously, "We should have done this a long time ago. I hope you know that the only reason you remained in the position you had was because of your father's influence."

King Aorgi finished, "But, when he died a year ago, you lost his protection."

"So," began Tristran as he stepped back to stand next to his parents, "Lady Calbur Bloodclaw of the Panther Tribe, daughter of Lord Calduran of the Panther Tribe, you are hereby banished from our tribe and all your possessions and hereditary power are striped from you. You are now just a lowly female of Sarmatia. If you step foot in the lands of the Panther Tribe, you will be killed on sight. Do you understand?"

Calbur spat at Tristran and marched away.

As she crested the hilltop, she spun around and swore, I **WILL** have my revenge!"

Tristran couldn't help but think that letting her go was a mistake; and deep within his heart he knew she's be back.

This is short, but I FINALLY have a destination in mind to finish this story. I have at least five to seven chapters left...I think!

Leave a review and tell me what you think!!


	9. Chapter 9

The Return to Sarmatia 9

The Return to Sarmatia 9

Tristran sighed and repeated his thoughts out loud as Ula handed him his beloved daughter, Amage, and wrapped them both up in her arms, "She'll be back, I'm sure of it."

Tyze smiled back, placed a hand gently on his shoulder, and said, "Then you and your family will be safe from her rage as you will be in Britain by then."

Tristran raised an eyebrow in question.

Ilona snorted and signed her response quickly, "_They know you will return home soon._"

Aorgi nodded and said as he signed too, "Yes, even though we've only been here a short time, we've come to understand that this is only a visit, and you're not staying here."

Ula placed her head on his shoulder and said, "Come on, we need to put the children down."

Tristran nodded to his family and walked with his family to their tent in the center of their warrior's caravan.

Once there they met up with Lancelot, Emogen, and their children.

Lancelot was kissing his twins heads goodnight, and Emmy was changing Cadman's nappy. They smiled at one another and Emmy said, "Goodnight Dunham, sleep tight Amage sweetie."

Dunham wrapped Emogen up in a tiny hug, and said, "Night Auntie!"

As he hugged Lancelot, Habren, who was watching them all with a wistful smile, gasped in shock, as he ran up to her and gave her a hug as well.

He smiled up at her and said knowingly, "You looked sad! Are you happy now?"

Habren smiled gently at the boy, met the proud gazes of the other four adults in the tent, and said as she hugged him back, "Yes, I am very happy. Thank you Dunham."

A few minutes later, when Emmy and Ula had put them all to sleep and had begun to undress, Tarkan stepped inside the tent and said softly, "Lancelot, Emogen, will the two of you please come out here? There is someone I want you to meet."

Lancelot and Emogen looked at one another and Emmy shrugged.

Lancelot sighed in exhaustion, but said, "We'll be out in a minute."

With a tired groan, he pulled his shirt back on over his head and said to his wife as she shimmied the gown back down her body because she had been in the process of pulling it off to go to bed before Tarkan had arrived, "I don't believe this. This was supposed to be a vacation, and we're still being called on at all hours of the day like home."

As they exited the tent, they saw a young straight red haired young woman with golden brown eyes, and golden skin, standing beside their brother very full of life.

Tarkan smiled and said proudly, "Lance, Emmy this is the mother of my unborn child, Jessiopeia. She's from Greece originally, but she came here with her Roman Master to find more slaves; he was destroyed and she stayed here to find freedom."

Jessiopeia blushed as Lancelot smiled charmingly at her and said warmly as he placed a gentleman's kiss upon her knuckles, "Well, welcome to the family, my lady. I see the little one's birth is nearly upon us."

She smiled shyly and said softly, "Yes, he is, and I cannot wait. I've dreamt of being a mother for many years, and I have his clothes already made."

Emogen smiled, wrapped an arm around her new sister-n-law and said, "I don't doubt it. Being pregnant is one of the most pleasurable things in the world. And when it comes time to hold the baby in your arms, you'll feel a love so strongly for them, that you'd never thought possible."

Emogen tilted her head towards the tent, where Lancelot could barely hear the sounds of crying and nodded as Emogen said, "Now come, let's talk more of your baby. I'd like to see his new clothes and toys!"

Jessiopeia giggled and nodded as they vanished into another tent near King Babai's.

Tarkan looked at the empty place where his sister-n-law and lover had once stood, and then turned to his brother.

Lancelot said, "Emmy took her away because all the talk of babies will only hurt Habren more. And as her brothers, we need to comfort her now as she's just lost her husband."

Tarkan nodded in understanding as he added softly as they reentered the tent, "And she's always wanted children."

When the two brothers entered the tent, they saw their little sister sitting by Cadman's crib weeping softly into her hands so as to not wake the other children.

As they sat on either side of her, she whispered, "I never loved Melean, you know. I barely even tolerated him. But, he was a good man and a gentle man. He never touched me in ways I did not like, and he never pushed for me to join him in our marriage bed. But, no matter how hard I tried to tell myself otherwise, I **COULDN'T** lay with him, brothers. I just couldn't!"

Lancelot wrapped his arms around her and said softly into her hair, "I don't think he will hold this against your Habren. As you said, he was a good man."

She teared up again and said, "That's just it, he **WAS** a good man, and now his line is forever gone from this land as he was the last of his family."

Tarkan placed a hand on her shoulder and said with conviction, "Habren, he has no hatred of you. He wanted no children from you sister, believe me this."

Habren and Lancelot eyed him in confusion, and Tarkan laughed at their identical eyes.

He became serious again as Habren asked, "How is that possible? He was the last of his line! It was his **DUTY** and more importantly **MINE** to carry on the lineage!"

When one of the children grumbled and rolled over, Tarkan hunched down and hoped that they wouldn't wake up as he whispered, "He told me once, a year or so ago, that he feared children and was actually happy that you never went to his bed."

Lancelot asked softly, "Why would he fear children?"

Tarkan sighed and said, "His father wasn't what one would call a nice man. If I had to describe Melean's relationship with his father, I'd say that Melean was treated no better than a Roman slave. No matter what he did, it didn't please Agrim, and Melean fear he too would treat any children of his own as his father treated him."

Habren gasped and whispered, "That explains much of his personality when we were alone together."

Lancelot looked into her eyes and asked, "How so?"

Habren placed her head upon her eldest brother's shoulder and said, "Well, when we were first married, I wasn't the only one who avoided the marriage bed. I would sleep in the room designed to be the nursery room, and he'd sleep on the floor in our room. It remained that way for nearly a year. Also, whenever a new baby was born to the tribe, he'd vanish for a day or two and come back with a pack full of dead animals. I think he was killing them all to release his frustrations as he would never lift a finger to harm me."

Lancelot nodded and asked as a yawn speared through his being, "Will you be okay now Habren?"

Habren nodded and said, "Yes, I now know that both of us were to blame for our childless marriage, and even if I **DID** go to the marriage bed, he wouldn't have, so I'll honor his memory, but I will not mourn him and carry one with my life. And who knows, I might find true love after all."

Tarkan smiled proudly and exclaimed softly, still mindful of the sleeping children, "That's the spirit!"

Lancelot hugged her once more and said, "Get to bed Habby, you need it just as much as we do."

Habren smiled at her dreaded baby name, but hugged them both and left for her parents tent. Now that she was widowed, but still a maiden, her honor was in the hands of her father and brothers once more.

The next morning, as Zimkar slept peacefully in his parent's tent, he was forcefully awakened by a freezing cold splash of water.

"What the?!" he shouted in disarray as his hair fell into his eyes and water blurred his vision.

"Up and at 'em, baby brother! You wanted to spar with me, so let's get to it!" exclaimed Lancelot cheerfully as he tossed an extra pair of dry clothes to him.

Zimkar grumbled as he pulled on the new clothes.

But what he didn't know was that his best friend, Galatan received the same wake up call as he did.

"**AAAHHHHH!!** **COLD!!"** shouted a young man's voice as Tristran walked out of his parent's tent and strolled leisurely up into the training circle he and the other Knights had set up on their first day.

"Ah, I see our two young princes are finally awake!" exclaimed Galahad cheerfully as he and Gawain sparred.

Lancelot, who had been watching the sparring pairs of Knights, nodded and smirked as the two young men stumbled out of their parent's tents with dripped wet hair.

When they reached Tristran and him, Zimkar demanded, "What was that for?!"

Lancelot stared at his baby brother and said seriously, "Prince Zimkar Goldenmane, son of Babai Fiercegrowl, King of the Lion Tribe, you are now the heir to the Lion's Throne. You must be trained to withstand any and all enemies who wish to see your people harmed. Do you think your skills are adequate enough to defend these people as you are now??"

Tristran also said, "Can you, Prince Galatan Blackspot, son of Aorgi Bloodclaw, King of the Panther Tribe, withstand the pressures of the East with your sword?"

The two young men stood tall and they said proudly, "I can!"

Lancelot and Tristran both raised an eyebrow at their younger brother's words of pride and youthful arrogance. Then they smirked, it'd be fun to knock them down a peg or two hundred.

Zimkar and Galatan froze in fear, as their brothers 'faces' became identical smirks of evil. They gulped and knew in their hearts that Lancelot and Tristran would make them swallow those words with dirt and blood.

"Sir Anion! Sir Droven! Front and Center!" shouted Lancelot as he pulled his twin swords out of their casings.

Zimkar watched in fear as a very large man with bulging muscles, scars all along his arms, legs, and face, dirty blond hair, and black as night eyes approached and a short stout man with compacted muscles, a bald head, and bright blue eyes bowed towards his brother and his friend's brother.

"SIR!" they cried out strongly.

Tristran commanded as he, Lancelot, Gawain, and Galahad pulled off their sheaths, light arm guards, and shirts, "Sir Anion, you will spar with Zimkar and Sir Droven you will spar with my brother, Galatan. Treat them as you would any other green recruit, understood gentlemen?"

The men grinned manically and said cheerfully, "SIR, YES SIR!!"

Lancelot thrusted his swords into the moist earth, crossed his arms, and said, "What are you waiting for??"

Zimkar gripped his sword and made a thrusting sideswipe with his sword. He had a terrible premonition about this fight, and if he was right, he be going down many times today. But, if he could win, even once, against this brute of a man he was to fight, maybe he could prove his worth to Lancelot.

While hope was all good and well, it didn't make much of a difference to Lancelot. As his brother missed Anion by a good sword's length, he and Tristran turned their attentions to each other and began sparring. As each thrust was met with a parry and every swipe with a block, the two best fighters of Arthur Pendragon took command of the sparring ring. Even Gawain and Galahad, who had watched them hundreds of thousands of time before, paused their own spar to watch the two legends go head-to-head.

Galatan was a much more critical thinker than his optimistic friend. Sir Droven was **NOT** a man to be messed with. In fact, while it was Sir Anion that looked the most serve of the two men, Droven had a presence around him that made you pause in confronting him. His eyes had a thousand yard stare in them that reminded him of his father during his worst days of remembrance, and knew that Tristran had doomed him to fail from the very start.

As he grabbed what was left of his courage, he had an epiphany-_**Tristran and Lancelot have purposely made us fail to make us realize our mortality!**_

As the day grew older, the crowds around the four Lords of Britain grew larger and larger-with women.

Also, as the day grew older, more and more young men and older men of Sarmatia cried out either encouragement or mean jeers towards the two young princes as they once against found themselves on the ground with yet another red welt on their bodies.

"**TIME!!**" shouted Lancelot as he disarmed Tristran for the last time that day, and turned towards the two princes.

He had to hold in a laugh as they collapsed in moans of pain and humiliation.

When he and Tristran reached them, Tristran asked once again, "Can you, Prince Zimkar Goldenmane, son of Babai Fiercegrowl, King of the Lion Tribe, and you, Prince Galatan Blackspot, son of Aorgi Bloodclaw, King of the Panther Tribe, withstand the pressures of the Rome, the East, and the world with your swords?"

Prince Zimkar, who had grudgingly come to the same epiphany as Galatan a few hours prior, shook his head negatively and said, "No, we cannot..."

He looked beseechingly up into his eldest brother's eyes and asked sincerely, "Will you train us?"

Lancelot smiled, grabbed a wet towel full of cold water, sat down on an outcropping of hard granite, and said, "I think that can be arranged, brothers."

Malana and her daughters, who had been among the first to seat themselves around the training ring, watched with lust filled eyes and aroused bodies as they licked their lips in physical hunger and eyed the sweat drops and pure clean water run down Lancelot and Tristran's sweat soaked, chiseled bodies, and stern faces.

Athena, the oldest of the two daughters, had her eyes on Tristran. She couldn't believe how aroused she was by him. His stoic face was driving her insane with lust. She just wanted to roll her hands along his body and let him ravish her with every skill his barbarian panther body could do to her.

Areia on the other hand couldn't wait to get Lancelot alone. Instead, she stood up, rolled her skirt up a few inches to reveal her toned thirteen year old, newly womanized legs, and sat down on Lancelot's lap.

She giggled as Athena copied her actions with Tristran.

Areia wrapped her arms around the stunned Lancelot and said in what she thought was a very seductive tone, "Why don't you lose the old bat of a wife, and take a **real** woman to your bed, you handsome stud."

Lancelot blinked and gave a large sigh. As Areia leaned into kiss him, with what he was sure **WASN'T** virgin lips, he stood up and watched in disinterest as Areia fell to the ground with a plop on her backend.

Areia immediately stood up, planted her fists on her hips, and cried out, "What the hell?! What's wrong with you?! All I did was try to give you a kiss!!"

Lancelot sighed and said, "Areia, you are a pretty young lady..."

Areia smiled prettily and took a step forward.

Lancelot continued as he ignored her movements, "...but you are just a child to me. I am nearly twice your age Areia and I'm not interested in you or any **OTHER** girls your age. Besides, I'm very happy with my **YOUNG** wife."

Areia huffed, crossed her arms under her blossoming bosom, and said, "You're going to regret this! I'm the best woman here! I'm the best warrior, the best cook, the best sewer, and I have the best balance between your wife and me!"

Lancelot shook his head as Areia spun pompously on her heals and promptly fell, once again, on her backend.

Areia shrieked in anger and rage as the trainees, both Britain and Sarmatian, laughed her right out of the sparring ring.

Tristran, who had just gotten rid of Athena in the same way Lancelot had gotten, rid of Areia, said, "This is getting tiresome."

Lancelot smiled wryly and said, "Welcome to my world, old friend."

Tristran shook his head and said as he propped his hip against the granite outcropping, "You know, I used to be quite envious of you and the attention you got from the women, but now...I wish they would just leave me alone!"

Lancelot burst out laughing as Emogen and Ula arrived with their children, teasing smiles, and more importantly, to them at least, lunch!!


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'm running out of ideas...this one might be the second to the last chapter for this story with an ending and an epilogue to connect it all together. __**Or this'll be the first chapter in a long time for a VERY LONG time after this...I just might finish this one after all...**__**_

The Return to Sarmatia 10

As they gathered in a circle, in the center of the village to eat their noonday meal well within the protections of the carriages and the Knights of the Dragon Order, Babai, Ama, Tyze, Aorgi, and Malana sat down and Babai told their children very seriously, "We didn't want to interrupt your training, but early this morning we got a letter from the commander of the fort Ri'Carpathia that he and a group of Romans will be here soon to discuss amending the original deal our ancestors made with Rome nearly two hundred years ago."

Ama added, "We are hoping to reduce the terms of service for our sons, but we are not sure about the rules and regulations..."

Tyze continued hopefully, "We were wondering if you, Lords of Britain and once servants to Rome, would be willing to help us negotiate."

Malana snorted and said bitterly, "Like they have ever cared for our sons before. Why should they now?"

Tyze sneered at her and said, "Well, some of us are hoping to change things for the better and not just sit there like an embittered old biddy."

Malana jumped to her feet in rage.

"How dare you! How dare you call me an embittered old biddy!! I'm five years younger than you!"

As she reached over to grab Tristran's mother's cloak, Galahad nabbed her wrists within his hands and yanked her down as Gawain yelled, "Lay off! At least she cares for **HER** sons! You've lost three sons to the Empire's enemies, and you've yet to cry for their deaths!"

Malana glared at her eldest son by her second husband, the late king of the Wolf Tribe, and growled out, "He died doing his duty to Rome, if Rome doesn't care for them, why should I?"

The elders of Sarmatia sitting in their circle gasped in shock. They couldn't believe what their fellow tribal leader just said. While it was well rumored to be true between them all that Malana was cold-hearted towards her children and very frigid in her leadership ventures, each and every time they had met for their quarterly sessions, Malana was warm and seemingly devoted to her children.

To see this side of her, her seemingly true side, stunned them.

The sons of Sarmatia were the life of their tribes. Without their survival, the Sarmatians would be no more. If they could manage to reduce their sons' oath of service, their people stood a much better chance of surviving to see the new century.

Galahad and Gawain closed their eyes in pain. With tears gathering in their eyes, they gripped their wives tightly to them and prayed that the tears of depression would not fall.

At least not in front of their mother and her equally cold hearted sons and daughters. Enys and Alma softly cooed into their ears as Lancelot and Tristran had to ground their fists into the soft fields on which they sat on to keep from pummeling the older woman to death.

The brother of the Wolf had known that their mother cared nothing for them; even before they returned to Sarmatia, but there always remained that tiny little drop of hope that somewhere deep inside her that she once loved them. Even a smidgen of a bit to mourn their deaths, but it was a fool's hope. Their mother cared for nothing but herself and the things she could get from others...

...more importantly, what her children could give her with _'abundant matches'_ of her, personal choosing.

Gowan and Rugon just blinked at each other and their half-brothers as they took an involuntary step back in shock.

They, too, knew of their mother's chilly ways, when dealing with others, but she had never come right out and declared such hatred to the world. While they took advantage of her generosity as their mother, they _'supposedly'_ knew of her devoted heart to them as her sons.

This woman wasn't the woman who sat with them every evening for meals and spoke warmly of their wives, children, and future.

This wasn't the woman who broke her bread in half, in quarters, in eights just to make sure that each and every one of her grandchild got a bit to eat that night.

This embittered woman before them wasn't the mother who tucked them in at night as children; nor the woman who kissed their scrapes.

This woman wasn't the woman who watched over her grandchildren with a soft smile; yet laughed as they pushed and shoved and fell into freezing streams.

This wasn't the woman who taught her daughters to fight with a sunny proud smile, nor was she the same woman who eagerly planned for Lancelot's return home with Agrimpasa many moons ago.

So, who was this woman who bore their mother's face? Yes, their mother was cold, but only to those not of her family, or their enemies. Neither one knew what to believe. So, for now, they ignored the past two minutes, and retook their positions flanking either side of their mother's back.

Was this the woman Gawain and Galahad knew and one of the reasons they never returned to there tribe?

They shared a glance as Gawain retorted, "Donnoz was killed battling the Woads and protecting me! Yet you shed no tear! You letter wasn't even tear splattered!"

Malana snorted and said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "My only priority was to birth enough sons to outlive Rome's rule. Out of ten children, seven were male, and of that seven four remain...I did my duty to both Donkir and Beucan, now it's **MY** turn to earn **MY** wealth through theirs and **YOUR** duties."

Ama stood up, placed herself in between Malana and the Knights and said, "You, Malana, are no queen; and if I have any say so, you **WILL** **BE** removed as Queen when the other tribes gather for the quarterly sessions."

Malana pushed herself up, place her face in Ama's, and said dangerously, "As if you have any power Ama...you are nothing but a trophy wife to Babai...you always have been. I know more about our people's politics than you could ever imagine."

Lancelot had, had enough; it was bad enough that Rome was coming, but Malana's egotistic ways were cutting into their planning time.

This, he would not allow.

He spared a glance at Tristran, and was proud to see his scouting friend on his feet and nearly behind Malana, Rugon, and Gowan before any of them realized it.

As Tristran placed a knife at both her sons' backs, Lancelot cut in dryly, "You know, we have not been so far removed from the ways of Sarmatia that we cannot make ourselves be heard. You have ten seconds to sit back down or lose two more sons, Queen Malana."

The mother of ten froze at her once prospective son-n-law's words. She twisted her head around and saw the panther inscribed daggers close to a fatal part of her sons' bodies.

Gowan and Rugon were pleading with her to take a step back, and she sourly realized she could do nothing less, less the Coyote Tribe lose two possible heirs.

As she stepped back and sat down dourly, Emogen started, "Now, do any of you know of the original's words?"

Tyze asked, "What do you mean?"

Emogen smiled in understanding as she asked again, "What do you know of the original words of the first agreement with Rome? That way we can see about rewording it whenever that commander arrives."

Babai eyed Malana in contempt as he returned his attentions to the woman his eldest son loved with all his heart, "Well, all that's been said is that our ancestors vowed to serve the Empire for fifteen years as Knights."

Gowan put in, "It was up to the Empire to decide where and with whom we serve with."

Galahad nodded and said as a messenger on horseback appeared over the highest hillcrest to the east, "Well, then we'll have to see why this commander has been given leave to change the oaths. It could be an advantage towards Sarmatia or it could end up making the oath even worse."

Lancelot stood up in alarm as the horns blared announcing a messenger from the Kingdom of Britannia.

"Who goes there!!" shouted a Knight.

"I am Rowen, personal messenger of King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot and Britain! I bare a message for Marquis Lancelot Shieldguard Lyon of the House of Lyon and the other Knights of the Round Table!!!"

Lancelot called back as loudly as he could, "Come forth Rowen! I am here!"

As the horsemen got closer, Tristran asked slowly in disbelief, "What happened? For this to get to us so fast, Arthur had to have sent in only a day or two after we left Britain's shores...?"


	11. Chapter 11

The Return to Sarmatia 11

Gawain sighed and said wearily as the messenger, Rowan, approached them with a weather beaten leather bag emblazed with the insignia of the royal house of Pendragon, "Looks like we're going to find out."

Rowan's approach to the second-n-command of the Briton's forces seemed like ages to the anxious and worried First Knight, yet he showed not one once of fear or anxiousness.

He had learned many years ago how to order his face into a bland look that gave away nothing; not even his eyes gave away his fears to those observant enough to see them.

Ama wasn't happy about that at all; even after her husband's return, she could still read his soul like that of Rome's scrolls.

Her son was a wall that she could neither breach nor climb. It made her aware of the passage of time between them keenly. She feared that her son's stay had just been cut short.

To compound to her fears, she dreaded the time that he and the others left because she had a terrible feeling that many of their daughters and sons would go with them.

Here, they were susceptible to Rome's law.

There, they were free to be whatever they could dream up and achieve.

Lancelot acknowledged Rowan's approach with a polite smile and said for the man was on one knee with his left fist over his heart in loyalty, "Stand and be recognized Messenger Rowan, lets see the missive."

The auburn hared man quickly rose to his feet and in one smooth motion pulled the thick parchment from the leather satchel.

As he passed it over to his superior, he said in a tone that informed the native Sarmatians, who were watching, that this was more for ritualistic show than anything else, "My liege-lord, King Arthur Pendragon, bids thee, Marques Lancelot Lyon, King Protectorate, Knight Commander, and First Knight of the Round Table, good heath and good cheer."

Lancelot rolled his eyes, where the others couldn't see of course, but the Knights and Rowan could, but replied in an equally ritualistic tone, "I bid thee welcome Messenger Rowan. I, too, bid thee King Arthur well wishes and good tidings."

He pulled the blue seal open and unrolled the scroll.

_To:_

_Lord Lancelot Shieldguard Lyon of the House of Lyon,_

_King Protectorate, Knight Commander,_

_First Knight of the Dragon Order:_

_From:_

_King Arthur Pendragon Camelot of the House of Camelot,_

_King of the Britannia and the Isles surrounding the Realm,_

_Dear Lancelot, _

_I fear things have gotten worse since you left._

_Our fears have come to past. Rome has come back to Britannia in hopes of regaining its power here in our shores._

_Not even a day after you left on the Lady Avalonia on the water ways, we received a communication from the Spaniards. Emperor __Odorace__, has with the support to Mother Rome, claimed that if we do not come to his and mother Rome's aid with the invading Huns, Vorgoths, and other Germanic Tribes, he will ravage Briton to the ground._

_Dagonet, Bors, all our wives, and I have tried to come to a compromise with them, but Rome is unmovable. _

_I fear another war my friend._

_As much as I hate to do this, as I'm pretty sure that you have only just arrived, I need you and the others to come back._

_I fear war is our only option left, my friend._

_Sincerely,_

_Arthur_

Lancelot raised his eyes from the parchment and frowned.

Galahad stepped forward and asked, "Well, what is it?"

Lancelot took a deep breath to calm himself down and said in a very controlled voice, "Knights pack up! We're going home!"

Almost immediately the men and women of the Round Table jumped to do what the man ordered.

Gawain demanded, "Lance! What's going on?"

Lancelot met his brother-n-arms' stare with one of his own and said, "Rome has decided that now that all the danger is gone from our shores, she wants the lands back. Arthur has been holding off war, but he fears he can't any longer. We go home to possible war, my friends."

Galahad's jaw dropped at those words.

Gawain swore.

Tristran blinked and nodded as he said, "Then we'd best pack up tight and ride double time. The more time we waist, the longer Rome has to compromise our boarders."

Lancelot nodded as he looked to his family.

His mother and father had fear in their eyes.

His sister and brother looked at him with full confidence. It was as if they knew he wouldn't let Rome take control from him and King Arthur.

He turned and met the gaze of his wife, and saw her gentle smile. He knew she would stand behind him no matter what he decided.

He could stay and meet with Rome and try to regain the Sarmatian people's dignity.

Or….

He could return to fight once more for his freedom…

His children's' freedom…

He decided then and there; he'd fight to preserve his children's home.

He turned to his mother and father and said apologetically, "I'm sorry mother, father, but we have to leave."

Babai nodded.

He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes for him. He gave his eldest son a firm hug and a pat on the back. When they broke apart, he stared deeply into his son's eyes and found a firm resolve to fight for his freedom once more.

He said, "How I wish I could go with you! It takes a strong man to fight for freedom; no matter what land it's for. You will live in stories and legends forevermore for these actions."

Lancelot blinked and said with resolution, "It's not for stories that I do this. I do this for my children's future. Briton and freedom is all they know. They wouldn't know what to do under Rome's control.

Babai smiled at his words. His son was truly the man of legend. His story would live on for generations, and he would truly be likened to those of Hercules and the Gods.

Tristran turned to his own family and found himself frozen in what to do. For nearly twenty years he had feared his memories of them and their thoughts about his children; only to come to find out that they supported his marriage to Ula and approved of his children. He wasn't sure what to think anymore.

The only thing he was sure of was that he couldn't let Rome take Briton again. Their people had fought for so long to achieve their freedom, to lose it to a weak, fearful, Rome was a sacrilegious thought to have.

He wouldn't let that happen.

Gawain and Galahad were of one mind. Screw their family and return to Camelot. They didn't care if their children were approved or not. They wouldn't be stepping foot in Sarmatia every again if they had their way!

They looked at the mother and Gawain said, "Well, have a nice life, mother. We won't be seeing you ever again."

Galahad simply frowned and turned to help Enys packed their things into the cargo wagon.

"Make sure that everything is packed nice and tight, we are moving fast to make up the time to make it back home in time to hold off Rome."

Emogen settled her children into the wagon, and turned to Habren as she walked up behind her.

"What do you need Habren?" she asked nicely for she didn't want to hurt the mourning woman's feelings.

Habren bit her lip as she thought about what she was truly asking of her sister-n-law. Could she really leave her homeland? Forever? Could she leave her mother and father behind to never see them again?

She turned to her parents and brother. They looked sad but resolute in their actions to see their eldest sons' return to Briton. She knew it was breaking their hearts because they'd never see them or their grandchild again.

She turned back to Emogen and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I want to go with you."


	12. Chapter 12

The Return to Sarmatia 12

Lancelot turned and gazed at his sister in amazement. He never would have imagined those words coming out of her mouth.

He turned to look at the other Knights and saw that they too were surprised, but not opposed to her coming home with them.

He had known, almost the instant those words left her mouth, and that his friends and family wouldn't deny her. It was the Sarmatian part of his family that would be the trouble.

He looked at his mother and saw the tears gathering in her eyes. His father looked choked up too.

He couldn't even think of that kind-of pain. He would be mortally devastated if he was any more than a week's travel from his children at any one time.

He was dreading the time his girls were eligible to be married off to anyone willing to pay his price. He was tempted to make the price nearly three times the current annual costs of running Camelot, but he knew Emogen would skin him alive if he did.

He gazed into his sister's brown eyes, so like his own, and said seriously, "This is a serious decision, are you sure Habren?"

Ama gasped and exclaimed, "Why?"

Habren looked apologetically at her mother and father and said, "Mother, I have nothing here…my husband is dead, I have no children, I'm twenty and five years old; no man is going to want me. I want children mother, and in Britain I can find myself a husband who doesn't care that I'm over twenty summers."

Babai tilted his head and asked his daughter because he knew her words were right, "Why is that Habren??"

Habren smiled at her father and said as Tarkan slid to her side with Jessiopeia beside him, "Because the age of adulthood in Britain is twenty and one; mother, father, to them I'm still a young woman in the blossoms of youth and still eligible for marriage."

Ama blinked at that.

Her daughter spoke truth. She wouldn't be getting any other proposals for marriage as she was ten years older past the age marriage, and she hated that law.

Habren continued, "Here in Sarmatia our people are constantly under the power of Rome and our boys taken to distant lands; most of whom will never return. Here in Sarmatia, our daughters are forced into marriages with men three times their ages and with men who could be their second cousins by the same grandfather. Here in Sarmatia our sons and daughters are smothered by the hierarchy who believes they are the Gods incarnate, and crave only that which they can get by standing on the shoulders of others…like the Romans, and here in our own beloved country our nobles believe that they are above all the laws in which our councils agreed on. But, in Brittany, they have won their freedom and their children grow and thrive in the knowledge that freedom is theirs by right and law. There their boys don't get ripped from their mother's arms as babes and forced to kill before they are ten and three. There their daughters can be anyone they can think up without fear of persecution from those of authority. There, in Britain, everyone has the voice of choice, and even the highest of all powers, King Arthur himself, isn't above the law should he be found in suspicion."

Tarkan nodded and said simply, "Mother, Father, our future is bleak to be sure if we stay here. Not only because of what Habren has just said, but for more realistic purposes…our elders are forcing young men to marry those women who are close family in a 'divine' effort to save our 'divine' race. Our people are as racist as the Romans and Rome's culture is spreading through our people more and more each day."

He sighed, hugged his lover and ended, "Our people are being born more and dumber each and every generation. We **NEED** the new blood of other races."

He finished, "Our people want to return to the ways of our glorious ancestors, but our glorious ancestors were Amazons who mated with whoever met the requirements of that particular Amazon. We **HAD** no **ONE** blood type or people, and that's why we survived! We are **DYING** mother! But in Britain, where hundreds if not thousands of our ancestors have lived and served Rome many of our peoples descendants still survive."

Habren continued, "Mother, your own brother, our uncle is alive and well! He married, had a child, possible children, and now he thrives in Britain as a leader worthy of our noble ancestors."

She turned to her father and said, "Father, your brother still lives too. We've never seen him, but word of his smithy is well known across the wall of Hadrian. He is there! Our family, our great and noble family, is small and dying here but growing and thriving there!"

Lancelot bit his lip and ended, "So, what is keeping the Lion Tribe here, on this land, besides the traditions of the tribe and an obligation to stay and play 'daddy dearest' to all the squabbling children of the others tribes so honorably called the council?"

Babai opened his mouth to deny those words as he had been doing more and more with the passing years, but froze as he truly thought about the situation.

His children, if he was honest with himself, were right.

His own beloved Lion Tribe, the mighty Lions descended from Aries, Harmonia and Hippolyta, who were once twenty and five families strong; were now only ten and three. With every generation the families were getting closer and closer to one another in familial ways.

Before his tenure as a Knight of Sarmatia, he and his brothers and sisters could claim not even a tiny percentage of blood relations that truly meant something to seven families in the Lion Tribe. Now, nearly every single one of the remaining families was at least cousins removed only by three maybe four times.

In the council meetings, his vote, which used to be so important in making laws when he was a younger more virile man, was now used to control squabbling tribes who wanted more power.

He looked at his oldest children.

Lancelot, his eldest and greatest heir, was no longer a Sarmatian. He had given his alliance to Arthur Pendragon many years ago, and Babai knew it wouldn't break because he wished it too.

Tarkan, his second son and heir, who had been destined to marry a Wolf Princess, had abdicated his power to be with the woman he truly loved, a Grecian woman, and he couldn't be upset with that choice. Jessiopeia was beautiful in every way and he was truly excited to see the birth of his newest grandchild.

Habren, his first born daughter, the light of his life after Lancelot left them, had gleaned all the knowledge he could ever impart to any of his children, and she still thought that their goals were helpless.

He turned to his wife, Ama, and saw the indecision on her face too. She was confused and frightened about their future like he was.

Lastly, he turned to his youngest children, Hera and Zimkar. They were only just into their teens and Hera was at marriageable age. She was a free spirit though and didn't want to be tied down to any man three times her age, and she wasn't mature enough to raise a child.

At that thought, he turned to Ama and Malana. Ama had been in her late teens when they married, but she had been raised to understand that she'd be a mother before she turned twenty. She understood that and even welcomed it. All she had wanted as a girl was to be a loving mother to her children. She hadn't aspired to be anything else.

Malana on the other hand, from what he remembered was born and bred to only be a breeding cow for whoever she married, and after her first bleeding at the age of twelve she was married off and a new mother by the time she was ten and three.

His youngest daughter was three years older than what Malana had been!

He blinked at the simple answer.

Could their ways of increasing their population be truly ruining their people as a whole?

Hera wasn't mature enough to be a mother. He could easily see that, and he wasn't inclined to make her marry if she didn't want to.

He had learned his lesson from his actions with Habren well.

Malana, from what he's seen of her treatment of her many children, wasn't a loving mother like her mother before her. She had been too young and to wild to be a mother and her children paid the price like Malana had paid because of her mother.

Malana's daughters, Agrimpasa, Areia and Athena were just a spoiled and unfit for marriage, and it was easy to see that any child they had would pay as past generations of their line had.

He turned to Zimkar, his last son and only Sarmatian heir. He was so excited to know his future as the King of the Lion Tribe. He had been equally excited when they found out from Habren that Lancelot was alive and well. He couldn't wait to learn from his brother's side the ways of their people.

Unfortunately, the ways of their people, their true people, were no longer alive. The men and boys of Sarmatian that still lived and breathed Sarmatian air were a sorry excuse for the men and boys of past generations. Their skills as a horse-people were poor and sorry at best.

His son's, Lancelot's, skills as a horseman was ten times better than those of others because he **HAD** to learn to control his horse in the Roman Calvary. Because of his enforced slavery, he understood the true meaning of freedom better than Zimkar. Lancelot, because of his fifteen years of war and sacrifice, understood the ways of battle on any fighting ground be they a battle field, politics, or even simple arguing.

Zimkar had none of these skills and because of his own selfish desires to protect his youngest and only remaining heir, he hadn't taught those interpersonal skills to the boy.

He was close to fifty and five now. He wasn't sure he could make the long trip to Britannia like he had once long ago. The land was a harsh mistress and he no longer had the body to make such a trip.

He sighed and said, "Truthfully my son, there is nothing keeping us here that you haven't already said. But, I am too old to traverse the lands of Gaul, and…"

Lancelot smiled at his father and said, "Who said we were taking the lands of Gaul home father? We came by the water ways and shall return by the water ways. It'll be two to three weeks worth of travel and then we'll be in Camelot's port of call, Kameland Port. From there it's only a two hour horse ride to Camelot."

Ama blinked at those words. While her husband her been thinking about the words of their eldest, she had too.

Her birth tribe, the Cheetahs, was dwindling faster and faster with each new generation born because three fourths of the babies died before they hit their second birthday.

She was the only remaining 'royal' left alive of all her siblings, barring her brother in Britain, and she was the sole remaining vote for her tribe. But, as she was female, she had no real say in casting the vote as they believed as Rome believed-women couldn't handle nor understand politics. They believed women to be only good for warming beds and rearing children. As such, she had a proxy to vote in her stead. Unfortunately, that proxy didn't always vote the way she wanted him too. Her proxy was her family's tribal competitor, as the second most powerful Cheetah clan, and his views were very different from hers.

Her eldest didn't want to stay here in the place of their birth because they had seen and experienced another land full of better and brighter things. She couldn't fault them for leaving. But she was old, and her last two children were young. Older than Lancelot when he left true, but they were mentally way younger than her eldest children had been.

Whereas Lancelot had been raised to take command and knew as he grew that he was destined to leave by the time he was ten and two possibly three, Hera and more importantly Zimkar were raised more freely in their mindset.

They were allowed to be children.

The first three hadn't been.

Her eldest daughter was a testament to how different her children were raised. Habren had been raised to know she would be married before she was twenty.

Hera knew this, but she, as a mother, hadn't beaten it into Hera's skull as she grew up as she did with Habren.

Even Tarkan had known, as he grew up, that certain expectations were anticipated for him once he reached a certain age.

Zimkar hadn't had those expectations.

He and Hera had children mindsets and still did.

She looked to her daughter-n-law, Emogen, and saw how she cared for all three of her children in the same way. She couldn't help but feel a little resentful…or was it envious because Emogen had this lovely time with her children.

She eyed her niece, Ula, too.

Ula, her twin's daughter, was also giving her children equal time and attention.

Was it truly as simple as how they live?

In Sarmatia, parents couldn't or wouldn't spend anymore time than what was needed with their eldest children because they knew those children would be taken away from them.

In Sarmatia, the eldest had all the responsibility and from childhood were expected to be young adults and married off by the time they were twenty, younger even.

It was the youngest that were spared the awful dictations of the councils and more often than not, it was the youngest who were more well-rounded adults when they did reach adulthood.

The eldest ones always seemed to have problems be they mental, spiritual, or physical.

Luckily Lancelot and his friends seemed to have resolved whatever problems they **MIGHT** **HAVE** had, and were truly upstanding people.

She turned to her youngest and asked, "Do the two of you want to stay here? Or do you want to live in Britannia with your elder siblings?"

She wasn't sure why she was asking, but she wanted to know what their answers would be. They were only children after all.

Hera blinked and said, "I'd like to go mother, father. Like Habren said, I could be anything I wanted to be there, and here I'd be married off to some 'old stogy' that would only use me for his own needs."

Ama was shocked. She hadn't been aware of the fact that her daughter knew of such things.

Zimkar thought deeply for a few minutes, stared at Lancelot and asked seriously, "Are the problems of our people as a whole truly so unhealable brother?"

Lancelot met his brother's stare evenly and said, "Zimkar, let me ask you something…who is to be your bride?"

Zimkar blinked and answered, "Before you came home, I was to be wed off to Areia of the Wolf Tribe."

Lancelot pursed his lips in annoyance and asked, "And what is your opinion of her?"

Malana, who had been off to the edge while all this was going on, jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "STOP THIS!!!!! We are Sarmatians! Our land is HERE! Our people's pride is HERE!!! Who are THEY to tell us our way of LIFE is wrong?! They, who haven't been here for the past twenty years!!!"

Areia, who had been running her hands through her hair and NOT paying any attention to her 'supposed' fiancées, Zimkar and or Lancelot, jumped to her feet and exclaimed heatedly the only thing she truly cared about, **"I AM TO BE THE QUEEN OF THE LIONS!!!! YOU AREN'T TO LEAVE ME FOR SOME OTHER LAND!! HOW AM I TO RULE IF YOU LEAVE?? HOW AM I TO GAIN ALL THE WEALTH IF YOU ARE GONE?!?!"**

Zimkar blinked at that, turned to his eldest brother, saw him rolling his eyes in annoyance at the very immature tone and words, and suddenly understood.

All that his family had said was true. He saw it before they came back, actually, but he had always hoped that things could be changed when Habren brought Lancelot back home.

Lancelot was all he had ever wanted to be and more.

Lancelot was tall and strong and proud.

Lancelot was a masterful horseman.

He was the Twin Demon Sword master.

Lancelot was confident and a great leader of his people.

He was gallant and brave.

Chivalrous and gentle.

Smart and tactful.

He wasn't cocky or ignorant to the ways of the world.

He wasn't against learning new ways to go about things like others of the Sarmatian people were, and Lancelot wasn't so egotistical that he forced dozens upon dozens of men to leave their chosen families to marry and create pureblood families like Atilla Du Huk had done.

He sighed and said, "I think I want to go to Britannia mother, father…what they said is all true, we are dying here and it's only a matter of time when we do. Whether we kill ourselves out of existence or our enemies the Huns and or the Scythians kill us first it doesn't really matter. The truth is, we **WILL** be dead…it's only a matter of time."

Lancelot nodded and said as the other Knights, who had been overseeing the packing of all their things, "Pack only what you need. We'll get you all new things once we reach Camelot."

Babai nodded and said, "I will make the announcement."

It only took three hours before they were on their way; heading towards Britain and Camelot after only three days of being in Sarmatia.

Babai was amazed at how to few people opted to join them. Out of the thirteen families that made up the Lion Tribe, only five had decided to join them on the journey, and all five were first cousins to him and his family.

The rest had decided to stay and follow the ways of Queen Malana and her ilk. He hadn't realized how far she and those like her had influenced their people as a whole.

Now that he understood, he couldn't bring himself to care what happened to those that had stayed. For whatever would come, it was now their choice, and no longer his responsibility.

He no longer had the fate of hundreds upon his shoulders.

He felt great!


	13. Chapter 13

The Return to Sarmatia 13

They had been traveling for seven hours now, and Lancelot could feel the others eyeing him impatient to move faster than the caravan was traveling.

He raised his eyes to the heavens and had a funny feeling of déjà vu. He had always known that his tendency to play the Devil's Advocate in years past, was annoying as well as welcoming to Arthur, but he had not understood the grand level of patience was needed to hold a stand against such eyes for so long a time.

He sighed; they were taking an awful long time to travel the distance between the tribes land and the port. The caravan was moving fast for its size, yes, but way to slow for the Knights of the Dragon Order's satisfaction.

Despite his hesitance to leave the women and children alone, a part of him hated their speed too; and his mind, as if to mock him, made him remember the part of the letter that made his blood freeze in his veins.

_Not even a day after you left on the Lady Avalonia on the water ways, we received a communication from the Spaniards. Emperor __Odorace__, has with the support to Mother Rome, claimed that if we do not come to his and mother Rome's aid with the invading Huns, Vorgoths, and other Germanic Tribes, he will ravage Briton to the ground._

He needed to be by Arthur's side!

He couldn't waste time by babysitting the Lion Tribe that was with them. He wasn't too worried about the women and the children. The Knight's wives were still pretty battle hardened and still retained their Woad skills as hunters and silent assassins. They could take care of themselves, and their children knew how to hide when they were in danger….

As his horse slowed to allow the covered wagon that carried his family in it to come up to his side, Emogen said with a wryly grin, "You and the others need to go! We can make it to the port by ourselves."

Ula popped out from her spot and added with a light frown, for she was dearly worried about her homeland, "Just make sure to leave us with enough gold to pay for the water ways."

Lancelot turned to his newly found cousin and grinned as his head shook side to side in humor to himself. He had just been thinking something similar, and had wanted to run his idea by the ladies, when they cut him off at the pass.

He nodded and said, "We have three bags of gold. We'll leave two for you and the others."

Emogen nodded and said softly as she cradled their nursing son, "Be careful, my love."

Lancelot smiled lovingly at her; he leaned down from Vertigo and gave her a kiss full of love, passion, and desire. He would miss his wife while they were absent from one another.

He pulled away and made eye contact with his sun and moon. Erlina and Enid were dressed in soft white dresses with green and silver accents along their necks, wrists, and ankles. Each had their curly black hair down and their wide green eyes were full of tears, but there was strength in them too.

He could see that they knew and understood, despite their age, what he had to do. He opened his arms to them, and without any fear, they jumped onto him and Vertigo.

His warhorse didn't even bat an eye.

Erlina wrapped her arms around his neck and said with tears in her voice, "We'll miss you daddy."

Enid, on his other side, wrapped her arms around him too, and said as she kissed his cheek, "Be alive when we get home, daddy."

He wrapped his arms tightly around their thin bodies and said as he squeezed them to him, "I'll miss you too my loves, and don't you worry; I will be alive when we see each other again."

Emogen, on her knees now, handed her son to Ula, who was also holding Amage, said as she held out her arms, "Okay you two, inside the wagon."

Ama, with Habren beside her, in the second wagon, close enough to hear the words of her eldest son, interrupted in protest loudly, "What do you think you are doing?!"

She couldn't understand why her son would leave them alone and helpless on the plains of the Sarmatian tribes. Dozens, if not hundreds, of thieves lived on the plains as the Sarmatian Tribes lost ground to enemies or small populations, and to be without weapons, without protection, was suicide to her.

Babai, on the other hand, had an inkling of what his son's obligations demanded of him, tried to calm her down, but she would not be calmed. He watched with dark eyes, similar to his wife's and son's, yet different, as Lancelot bowed his head into his daughter's lovely curls, inherited from him or their mother, and took a deep, calming breath.

Babai knew his son was asking for patience as he opened his mouth to explain himself.

Surprisingly, the explanation came from Hera and Zimkar, their youngest children in mind, body, heart, and soul.

Zimkar placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, and said, "Mother, he and the others are needed by King Arthur's side. We aren't far from the port, and we can protect ourselves nicely without such a large group traveling at such slow speeds."

Hera continued, "As a matter of fact, we're a bigger target now than we will be when they are gone. As a smaller traveling caravan, we can ghost by the larger thieves without problems."

Lancelot grinned at his youngest siblings and said, "Right in one, good job you two, you're learning."

Zimkar's face blushed with praise from his eldest brother, whom he idolized, and said, "Er…ah…thanks, but you need to get going, right?"

Lancelot nodded, and with a heavy heart, let his sun and moon go and when they were safe in the wagon, he turned Vertigo about and cantered quickly to the front of the line.

Tristran was scouting ahead as always and Gawain was in the lead.

As he came to a stop, he ordered, "Say your farewells to your family. We are leaving!"

The knights surrounding the caravan gave a cheer as each of the Knights of the Round Table made their way to their families.

Lancelot tilted down to reach into his saddle bag to his right, and pulled out a large pouch filled to the top with gold coins. Each golden coin, he knew, was engraved with the bust of Arthur on one side with Excalibur behind him and Cordelia on the other.

Coincidentally, the silver coins had his, his twin swords and Emogen's likeness on them too.

The bronze coins had a mesh of the other Knights and their wives on them too along with the Knights' chosen weapons behind their busts as well.

He raised his head as his fellow Lords came up along side him on their warhorses, and looked to him for leadership.

He pursed his lips and ordered, "Gawain, Tristran, give your bags of gold to the Ladies of Camelot, we are going to be riding double-time and through the night if we have too, to get to the ports of Azov du Lada."

Gawain and their silent friend immediately pulled out equal sized pouches' and Tristran took the leonine Knight's pouch and rode back to the main wagon.

His friends watched silently as Enys took the two bags with a few words and a small smile. Tristran said something back and nodded over his shoulder as his horse turned around to make his way back to the group.

Once by his side once more, Lancelot eyed him and tilted his head. Tristran nodded and cantered off fast over the large hill they were slowly approaching the top of. A second later, the scout of Arthur's form was gone.

"Let's go!" yelled Lancelot as his sent Vertigo into a canter up the hill.

Galahad rode up beside him and asked loudly over the thunder of the horses hooves, "What do you think the situation will be when we get there? We've been gone for a good month, even though we've only just reached the Lion Tribe…."

Lancelot knew exactly where his younger companion was going with these words. It'd taken them at least a month more, at the maximum, to reach the lands of the Lion Tribe, and a month more, if bad weather hindered them to reach Briton again.

Anything could happen in thirty days of the moon's path through the sky.

Catastrophes could and have occurred in less time.

And they'd been gone for almost two months now.

He sighed and replied in a loud tone to be heard over the cantering as well, "I don't know Galahad, I just don't know."

Gawain added seriously, "I don't think Arthur, Bors, Dagonet, nor the others will let Briton fall in the time we've been gone. I'm sure we'll get there in time to either help in the war, or to heave a sigh of relief to the peace achieved."

Lancelot shook his head and said, "It's not that easy, I'm afraid. _Emperor __Odorace_, or otherwise known as Lord O'du Wtha (O-do-wah-ka) of the Western Empire in Spainard, is a clever blood thirsty man who has gained many supporters in his five years as Emperor. He has demanded that we go to war and save Rome from her enemies…if we don't…."

Gawain shook his head and said, "Britannia isn't a part of the Empire any longer; we haven't been since they pulled out willing to leave Briton to the Saxons…"

Lancelot snorted and said, "What did you expect Gawain? Rome is weak; we are strong; they need us and are using the only avenue they have left…blackmail and threats."

Galahad shook his head and said, "Still, they will have to pass the port key houses to get docking tickets into Kameland Harbor…"

"…Hey!" he shouted as his hand flew to his head to rub the offended flesh and glare half-heartedly at the offender, Tristran.

Tristran looked at him with serious gray eyes and said, "Lord Odorace won't need a ticket of docking if he comes to raze Briton to the ground for our help, pup."

Galahad frowned at the hated childhood name, but also understood the implications as to why it was used; he was acting childish which lead to his childhood name being used.

Galahad sighed and said sadly, "Right, he'll just burn it all into the sea."

Lancelot nodded as Tristran reported, "Nothing, we're clear for a good while. Siolae is flying on ahead."

The Knights of the Round Table remained silent, galloping didn't lean much to conversation what with the lunges and large gaits that halted speech patterns, when the night sky began to darken and the stars began to twinkle high in the heavens.

Lancelot shook his head and yelled, "KEEP GOING!!!"

After another hour on horseback, as the colors of the rainbow transformed into the darkest black, the port of Azov du Lada appeared through the watery mists of the port of calls.

The mists bothered no one.

Their homeland was filled with such mists and it made them feel just a tiny bit better to have reached the water ways.

Now all they had to do was find a ship willing to leave dock at night with thirty two men and fifteen horses.

Lancelot dismounted Vertigo and said as he grabbed the reigns in one hand, "You all stay here, I'm going to see about getting us a ship."

Gawain dismounted also and said, "Off your horses Knights!"

Lancelot nodded and walked down the dirt road.

He was looking for a Tavern full of life.

It would be his best bet in finding a Captain after all.

((More descriptions to come; this was just a necessary filler chapter.))


	14. Chapter 14

The Return to Sarmatia 14

As Lancelot entered a Tavern filled with lights from different fires, he glanced around and felt a jolt of disappointment.

The men in this Tavern were big bellied dirty slobs. Their hair was matted with dirt, sweat, and oil and their clothes were stained with all matter of colors he wasn't going to think about.

As he came into the light, a woman with wavy black hair, deep, dark black eyes, and a smooth, sensual face glided up to him in a dark blue cotton dress that covered only the minimal amount of female flesh. She dress was tight, hugging all her curves, and had under dress was no where to be seen on her.

He groaned silently to himself as she wound herself around his body and said with a husky, sensual, light roman lisp in her native tongue, "What can I get you handsome?"

He took a deep breath, bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in line so as to not cause her harm, and said as he placed his hands on her bare shoulders and pushed her away lightly so as to not bruise her, "I need a sea captain lady. I require no female company this night."

Her dark black eyes widened and her plump red lips trembled as she asked, "A strong, handsome, sexy man like you, requires no woman this night?"

Her smile returned, with more sex appeal, as she glided her hand teasingly down his chest closer and closer to his lower half, when he caught her hand and said with more force as he pushed her away again, "Yes, you heard me woman, I don't need a woman tonight. I need a captain to return to my wife and family in Britannia."

She pouted some more, planted her fists on her wide hips, and said teasingly, "Surely a man of your wealth knows he can have as many women as he likes."

He rolled his eyes and said with a glare in his own dark brown eyes, "I do, but I'm loyal to my wife; now go bother some drunkard who doesn't give a lick who you are as long as you fuck him silly."

She huffed, crossed her arms under her breasts, causing them to rise up even more-threatening to spill out of her dress-and stomped away into another corner to hopefully find a few coins to survive the night on.

Lancelot felt a bit bad for what he did, but he wasn't here to play games. As he walked further into the tavern, he found a man with bronze hair, neatly washed, green eyes, and clean, colorful clothes staring at him.

Lancelot tilted his head down in greeting.

The man did the same and pushed a chair out for him to sit in.

Lancelot gratefully sat down and said, "Thank you sir, I am Marques Lancelot Lyon of Camelot, and you are?"

The men's bronze eyebrows rose, as he said with a teasing grin and a flaring bow from his seat, "I, M'Lord, am Captain Nazim of the Nomadic Tribe. I hear you are looking for a ship to carry you home?"

Lancelot raised an eyebrow of his own and replied, "Aye, for me and my men. I have thirty-two men and fifteen horses with me now. The horses were leased when we arrived at Port, and we will be returning them once I have secured a ship. Are you willing?"

Captain Nazim tipped his head and said without answering, "Where to?"

"Camelot is in the Kingdom of Britannia under the rule of King Arthur Pendragon. We have fifty gold pieces. If you take us and get us there fast, you'll get fifty now and another twenty at Kameland City Port when we arrive."

The other man raised an eyebrow and said, "That an awful lot…why are you in such a hurry M'Lord?"

Lancelot sighed, settled down to talk a bit, and answered, "I won't lie, I'm offering this much money because we might have to skirt by Emperor Odorace's ships if they are there."

The captain's eyebrows furrowed and he said darkly, "Emperor Odorace isn't someone to mess with."

Lancelot nodded and said, "Yes, I know, that's why I'm willing to pay more than double to amount to get us there."

The captain sat in silence for a good while, and Lancelot felt his heartbeat double as the minutes wore on.

The man raised his head and said, "What else are you not telling M'Lord?"

Lancelot sighed, ran his hands through his curly, black hair and asked instead, "Do you know of another Captain that you trust implicitly?"

Nazim blinked but replied, "My twin brother, Amir, is trustworthy and his ship is as grand as mine M'Lord, why do you ask?"

Lancelot leaned forward and asked more eagerly, "Is he here at port?"

The captain nodded and said, "He'll be here for another three days before he set out to Gaul with supplies to sell, why?"

Lancelot asked anxiously, "Does he mind women and children?"

Nazim blinked but replied, "No, he doesn't. He prefers them to other travelers actually. They make less of a fuss, he says."

Lancelot sighed in relief and said, "My wife and me men's wives and family will be about a day behind us. They have money and will need passage to Britannia as well."

Captain Nazim allowed slowly, "I'm sure with the amount you are offering, if they have the same, he will do it."

He added, "I can put in a good word for you too, if you want me too M'Lord."

Lancelot placed the fifty gold coins on the table, smiled gratefully at him and said, "Yes, thank you."

Then he got back to business and asked, "When will you depart?"

The captain tilted his head out the window near him, gazed into the skies where the full moon shined lightly down at him, and said, "In two hours M'Lord."

Lancelot stood up and said with a bow, "We shall be there."

Captain Nazim stood as well, placed the bag in his cloak to keep out sneaky fingers, and said, "I'll be expecting you."

Lancelot smiled and nodded as he followed the captain out of the tavern and into the dark night once more.

Lancelot turned and went back down the main street. As he left the main street, he found the others hiding in a glen that was hidden by the mists.

Gawain stood up and said, "We returned the horses Lancelot, do you have a ship?"

Lancelot nodded and said, "It sails in two hours. It's called the Nomadic Tribe. It's a fast ship and I have paid double to get us there as quickly as possible."

Galahad rubbed some grass out of his curly hair and said, "Lets get going then."

Tristran simply walked ahead of them with Siolae flying low in the air crying out as she swooped down and grabbed what looked like a white rabbit or fox.

Lancelot sighed and followed as Gawain asked, "So, how much did you have to pay to get this Captain to undertake this job?"

As they reached port, Lancelot glanced around and said as he turned right, "Fifty gold now; and another twenty at Kameland."

Galahad added, "Our families?"

Lancelot rolled his eyes but replied, "Captain Nazim has a twin brother who should be willing to bring them in a day or two since it's on his way by way of Gaul."

Galahad nodded and said, "I hope he's as trustworthy as this captain is."

Lancelot placed his hand on Galahad's shoulder and said seriously, "He's assured me he is."

When they reached the ship, Sir Bruce yelled out, "Marques Lancelot Lyon and company asking permission to come aboard!"

Captain Nazim, from the tiller where he was currently looking through a magnascope out to see, called back, "Permission granted"

Once on board, Lancelot walked to the captain as he said, "You rooms are down below. You and your men will have to share the commons with the rest of the crew."

Lancelot nodded and said, "Thank you."

Captain Nazim looked up at the stars and said, "Get ready, we're going to be leaving in a few minutes."

Lancelot nodded and said, "We'll go down so as to stay out of yours and the crews' way."

Captain Nazim smiled and said, "Thank you."

Lancelot glanced around and ordered, "Knights! Down below."

When they were all there down in the commons, Lancelot looked around and said, "We shall be staying here while they maneuver us out of port."

THREE WEEKS LATER….

Captain Nazim called out to Lancelot, who was staring out to sea as Kameland City Port came into sight, "Only an hour more M'Lord!"

Lancelot turned to him and said with a wave of acknowledgement, "Thank you!"

As the hour grew longer, Galahad turned to the captain and said, "You'll have to stop at the Key port for a ticket."

Captain Nazim raised an eyebrow and asked, "A ticket? How am I to get that on a ship?"

Gawain, who had been seated on the stairs that lead up to the tiller, turned and said, "Just guide the ship to the Key Port and the man there will shoot an arrow with the ticket attached."

"An arrow?" exclaimed the captain.

Tristran nodded and said with an eerie grin on his lips, "Yes, they won't harm anyone. The men on duty are a part of my specials team. They will shoot and aim for the side rails so as to not hit anyone."

Just as soon as he said that, a dull thud was heard to the port side.

Lancelot, who had been expecting it, reached over from his place on the side rail, and pulled the arrow out.

Lancelot looked at the captain and said as he handed the ticket to Captain Nazim, "The ticket also has a redeemable amount of three silver coins for one of the shipmen at port to sand and repaint the rail that has been damaged by the arrow."

Captain Nazim sighed as he said, "Indeed, well we're here."

Lancelot glanced out at the port as the ship came to a stop in the harbor and thought, _'I'm here Arthur…'_


	15. Chapter 15

The Return to Sarmatia 15

Camelot

Lancelot looked to the coved shore through the Captain's magnscope and saw a blockade of twenty ships blocking the main port entry into Kameland City.

Fortunately the Key Points were miles from shore, so their entrance into the city was still unknown.

Lancelot turned to Nazim and said, "Head to the east! There is a secret cove hidden by the mountains there! We can gain entry there!"

Captain Nazim, by now, had come to recognize that these Lords knew the ways of warcraft and followed the orders given.

Once inside the key points, he steered the tiller to starboard and with a hale gust of wind, the Nomadic Tribe sailed silently through the crystal clear waters.

As the reached the hidden cove, the Captain eyed the white mountain nervously.

Gawain, who had come to stand by him, smile in understanding and said soothingly, "Keep going, the whites in the mountain hid the entrance. With the growing dawn, the path will be revealed."

Even as he said this, the sun's rays hit the white marble mountain and a blue line of water, like an arrow to the heart, appeared and lead the way into a small cove.

On either side of the cove though, two severe watch towers, each manned with ten soldiers armed with heavy Sarmatian bows for reach and mirror smooth shields for blinding the enemies eyes, loomed over the Nomadic Tribe.

Tristran, raised a golden horn, in the shape of a dragon with sapphire eyes, and blew into it three times.

The crew of the Nomadic Tribe listened in awe as three high and pure toned blasts reverberated through the cove.

All the arrows that had been pointed threatening at them vanished and a cheer was heard from the tower's battlements.

Once the ship had been put to port, Lancelot and the others of the Order of the Dragon and Knights of the Round Table, rushed up to the commander of the hidden cove and Lancelot ordered, "Send word to the King! We have landed and will be there momentarily!"

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

It had been a long four months for Arthur and those who remained of his court.

It had stared weeks before Lancelot and the others even left Camelot.

At first, it was tiny things like barely veiled threats from the Western Empire and discriminating letters about his choice of wife and home.

Lancelot had been terribly worried then; not he.

But then again, he had the kingdom to worry about; Lancelot's duty was to protect him and his family.

Not that it wasn't his duty to protect his family, but Lancelot's duty was more focused on protecting the Royal Family while he as King protected the entire kingdom; his wife, son, and daughter included.

Once Lancelot and the others left their shores, it seemed like he and the others were besieged on all sides by Emperor Odorace and his pirate ring of mercenaries.

It wasn't all out war, to that Arthur was very thankful, but the skirmishes all along Camelot's borders were causing him and the others no small amount of sleepless nights.

In fact, the very next day, after Lancelot left them, Camelot's heir apparent, Prince Mordwen, and Queen Cordelia, his beloved son and wife, had been attacked and wounded.

Without Lancelot's protective aura beside him, his once hidden worries about his family's safety roared into being.

If not for his insistence that they have guards whilst they walked along the beach, they would have died out there all alone with arrows lodged in their shoulders.

The guards got them out of there and fought off the raging bandits that tried to come ashore.

He wrote his letter to Lancelot then and there.

He purposely left out the wounds though.

He didn't think making Lancelot panic on the way back would do him or the others any good.

Cordelia and Mordwen wounds had healed easily enough.

He and the others knights couldn't quite claim the same healthy bodies as his wife and son though.

He had lacerations on both of his shoulders that were quite deep. They ached even now months later. The Healers theorized it was because his muscles and tendons wore torn. While muscles healed quickly; tendons did not.

He could barely lift Excalibur in defense.

Bors had a concussion and a cracked rib. Neither wound would let him fight in any future battles.

Dagonet had a pierced shoulder and a broken clavicle.

Dean, Seamus, and Conner were better off than he and other others, but not by much.

It was a truly sorrowful picture they made in their Great Hall.

As Arthur read a battle map of the surrounding area, a messenger came running in and gasped out as he fell to his knees before his Lords and Majesty, "My King! My Lords! Marques Lancelot and the other Lords of Britain have returned! They shall be here momentarily!"

Arthur, despite his wounded shoulders, jumped to his feet in glee and commanded, "Get this man food and drink!"

As his orders were being done, he turned to his friends and said, "Now, that Lancelot and the others have returned, we can start our little ruse."

Bors, Dagonet, Dean, Seamus, Connor, and the Duke's of Britain smiled evilly.

This plan had been made weeks ago, when the ships began to block their ports. It called for the armies to swarm the enemies' infantry and the kingdom's navy to attack the enemies' navy head on.

While this was happening, Lancelot and the others would have ample chaos in which to travel to Camelot.

From there, Arthur would ride out, showing his true aches and pains to both native and enemy alike, under a counterfeit white flag of peace, and ask for treaty.

Emperor Odorace, who had arrived not two weeks ago, would then come to meet him, overconfident in his belief that Arthur was alone.

For some reason, Odorace had waited until it was proven that Lancelot wasn't here by the King's side.

Unknown to Arthur and the others, Odorace had experience in fighting Lancelot before. Once when they were children, Odorace came upon a learning Lancelot and challenged the thirteen year old to a duel.

Overconfident in his abilities, fourteen year old Odorace charged at Lancelot and began to beat his sword against the younger man's sword.

And for a time, it looked like Odorace would win, for Lancelot's skill was novice level at best then, but as Lancelot's sword arm lowered and Odorace made to move in for the kill, Lancelot's arm swung with a strength not seen yet in their battle and tumbled Odorace's sword from his hand.

Unarmed, and totally vulnerable to Lancelot's sword, a young Odorace fell to his knees in terror. Lancelot, with adrenaline flowing through him, raised his sword to take his first victory; only he couldn't.

Instead, to appease his guilty conscious, he slashed his sword along side his elder's face.

Odorace's face would forever more carry the scar along his left eye-which would eternally be out of focus, down his nose, and across his lips, which would forever scowl at everyone-friend or foe-and end just under his chin.

Odorace vowed revenge against Lancelot and for the next twenty years watched and listened for any word of his enemy.

At first he planned revenge on the Lion Tribe, and he in fact had a hand in urging the Huns into attacking the Tribe years before **(reference to Reunion), **but when he realized his enemies true heart lay elsewhere he watched and waited some more.

When word got out that Lancelot was leaving his beloved friend and king, Odorace, now a powerful man with authority and power behind him, knew it was time to get his long awaited revenge.

He attacked Camelot.

He attacked Lancelot's King and country.

He attacked Lancelot's friends and family.

****

Though they didn't understand why he had waited, it was obvious he didn't like or want Lancelot around.

So Arthur, Bors, Dagonet and the others built a final siege plan around this strange aversion to Lancelot and his presence in Camelot.

Unfortunately, until Lancelot returned to Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table had to play a defensive strategy that none cared for.

But now, with news of his and the others' return, their long awaited plan could be initiated.

With Lancelot and the others, traveling under the camouflage of battle, when Emperor Odorace arrived in the Great Hall for treaty, Lancelot would already be there ready and waiting.

Arthur, though thrilled by his friend's return simply because he was home, was ecstatic that Lancelot was finally here.

**He could finally fight back!**


End file.
